Pragya Arora, PhD

Experience

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  Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

  Jun 2013 - Aug 2013

  Research Internship

  Indian Institute of Science (IISc), BangaloreProject: "Critical Behavior of EPR Linewidth in Bulk and Nano BCMO"• Investigated the critical behavior of EPR linewidth in bulk and nano bismuth calcium manganite (BCMO), focusing on the impact of particle size on magnetic properties• Found that nano-sized BCMO exhibited a stronger ferromagnetic tendency, with a higher transition temperature and critical exponent compared to bulk samples• Contributed to understanding the phase behavior in manganites, with insights that could inform future studies on electron and hole-doped materials Show less

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  Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), TIFR

  Jun 2013 - Jun 2013

  Summer Intern

  NIUS CAMP : The National Initiative on Undergraduate Science (NIUS), a major initiative of HBCSE (TIFR) concerning tertiary science education in India, was launched in the summer of 2004. The NIUS programme has been contributing towards training of students and teachers in theoretical and experimental science, preparation of pedagogical material and R&D in science education/laboratory training.

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  Miranda House, University Of Delhi

  Jun 2014 - Dec 2014

  • Focused on applying operations research (OR) techniques to optimize decision-making in areas such as resource management, healthcare, and public policy• Gained hands-on experience with OR-related software, including LINGO, MUPAD, WBB, and Solver, to solve complex, real-world problems• Collaborated with expert faculty from management schools to enhance analytical skills and creativity in addressing multifaceted challenges using mathematical and computational methods Show less D.S. Kothari Centre for Research and Innovation in Science Education, Miranda House• Developed a low-cost, homemade spectrometer as a teaching aid for undergraduate optics courses, enhancing students' understanding of diffraction and spectrum analysis• Fabricated portable spectrometers using readily available materials like CDs, DVDs, radial gratings, and cardboard, allowing students to observe and analyze spectra from various light sources• Designed multiple spectrometer prototypes, including a rainbow grating spectrometer and a radial grating spectrometer, to demonstrate different diffraction patterns and spectral phenomena• Successfully demonstrated the spectrometer's capability to capture spectra of different light sources using a smartphone, providing a hands-on learning tool for understanding electromagnetic radiation Show less

  • Operations Research Trainee

    Jan 2014 - Dec 2014

  • Research Internship

    Jun 2014 - Aug 2014
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  IIT Delhi Alumni Association & International Programmes

  Oct 2014 - Oct 2014

  Robotics Internship

  • Gained hands-on experience in robotics through participation in autoSTROKE 2014, a National Level Challenge series• Completed an intensive workshop on robotics, where I learned and implemented basic algorithms such as line following and edge detection, and honed my programming skills• Optimized and implemented preventive maintenance guidelines and protocols for robotic systems

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  JNCASR

  Aug 2016 - Jun 2023

  PHD Researcher

  Dissertation: Liquids and Glasses of Achiral, Chiral and Deformable Active Granules• Developed a first-of-its-kind experimental strategy to manipulate activity/chirality and soft robots of vibrated 3D printed granular matter• Performed in-depth analysis on 8TB of image datasets, employing advanced tracking techniques and developing > 100 custom algorithms in MATLAB and ImageJ to derive correlation functions and extract dynamical information effectively• Constructed a high-precision granular experimental apparatus from the ground up for innovative experiments Show less

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  Brandeis University

  Jun 2023 - now

  Postdoctoral Research Fellow

  • Designed lipid vesicle experiments for programmable DNA origami encapsulation• Quantified DNA origami binding on lipid nanoparticles using a custom flow cytometry assay• Pioneered a TIRF system for visualizing single-molecule origami kinetics on SLB• Leading an interdisciplinary team of virologists, physicists, biochemists, and biologists in collaboration with the Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Health to develop effective strategies for neutralising enveloped viruses• Applied diverse microscopy techniques, ranging from optical to cryoelectronic, for liposome encapsidation analysis Show less