Meeting with Professor Paul Nealey
(No anxiety this time)
I happened to visit him at his office with an appointment.
This is how it went:)
Rohit: Good afternoon Sir!
PN: Welcome! Rohit ! So how are you finding and what is your academic background ?
Rohit: I come from ITBHU Varanasi and I have worked in Dr Reddy's Labs after graduation for an year. Now I am inclined towards doing research in simulations.
PN: Well ! Have you met Prof Pablo ?
Rohit: Yes I have. Had good interactions with him.
PN: His groups is one of the best groups in our department if you want to do simulations.
Rohit: Please tell me the philosophy and projects of your groups and how do you find yourself different from other groups ?
PN: We are focused on applications of block co-polymers and applying verious techniques to their research and development. ( Dr Nealey gave an example which could describe how chem enggs are different from polymer physicists. ! ) Now coming to how our group is different, we mostly do lot of experimental work and then there is always lot of interaction with the de Pablo group. They come up with simulations, and then we apply those thigns on a experiments. Sometimes it is the other way round. So lot of collaborative work happens amongst the two groups.
Rohit: How does the planning happen in your group? Do you decide the targets, and solve the problems, are you oriented towards research which is going to help the industry sooner or later or are you contributing more to science ? I see there is lot of difference between the philosophies of industries and academia as well.
PN: There are two extreams: One is focussed towards targeting the problems which are not solved in the industry. We can target those and then come up with solutions.
The other is trying new things which have not even been conceived but because lot of things have to be searched, and are not in existence, probably lots of applications are not known! These I would say are two extreams and we are not into any of these. We are a between the two. We look the open ended problems in the industries, and also try lots of new things and experiments on the things which might later be useful in the industries say after 5 years or 10 years !
Rohit: Actually I also find myself focused towards doing research which suppports technology and not simply contributing to science.
PN: Sounds good!
Rohit:When I compare simulations and experimental work I would say, one should have some part of experimental work and hands on experience of that as well.
PN: I put it like this: If you want to be best in something, then you should do only that. Its good to have motivation like that also. You can work on experiments, get hands on experience, then model and simulate the things. Probably that is even better as that gives you much idea about what techniques to be applied to the simulations. That sounds even great!!
Rohit: Sure sir! I think I will be doing some similar project in future. Though I am not decided with the research guide till now, but these two groups have interested me most because of the 'lithography'.
PN: Thats great !
Changing topic
PN: Well you are the first student from your institute actually. And looking at the applications etc, I find it little tough to judge what it means to be in the top 1.5 % of 150,000 students! Well they are actually equal !
Rohit: Ya more or less they are marginally different, and because it is one of the toughest exams so all are good! In fact, there isn't much difference in them.
PN: basically its also difficult for us to figure out how the institute compare with each other in India also ! How do YOU rate institutes in india? ! Which is the best IIT?
Rohit: In terms of the focus towards research, as far as I know, IIT Bombay is the best ! But we dont compare as such becuase the only difference is in the orientation towards a particular thing. That can be industry, or research or a combination etc. ( as sunil also keeps telling)
PN: Ya I also think so !IIT Bombay is the best! How is bombay university different from IIT ?
Rohit: Bombay university is focused towards applications in industries so those ppl find themselves fitting good in industries, whereas ppl from IIT Bombay fit into research better( Actually these are my perceptions and then there are people from both institutes which do good in both places. ) Well!! Is it the case ?! And do you find IITians from Bombay better than other students?
PN: ya !! IITians are definitely better but then all IITians are equal !!!! !
Changing topic again Well but how do you people happen to select the research institute and fields of interest.
Rohit: There are actually two extreme ways people do that. They either select an IIT and then fill all branches in the pref list or they select the field and fill the IITs after that, and then many do a combination of these. So its different from what people do here ! ( In between Prof PN also started giving the same opinion)
PN: ya...So have also cleared the IIT exam ? I am sure you are as good as people from IIT Bombay :)
Rohit: Ya I took the same exam ! Don't know if I am that good, But I will try to do good always. In fact for the reason that I am the first student from my college in chem engg, I would try to make a mark. I guess that helps you taking more students from my institute ?! Does it ?!
PN: Ya it surely helps. !! And we will take more students from your institute ! Also I thank you for all this feedback ! Do good here. I shall keep asking you things about your country !
Rohit: Thanks a lot ! :)
In between I asked for papers which he mailed right there.
That was an interesting meeting.
I happened to visit him at his office with an appointment.
This is how it went:)
Rohit: Good afternoon Sir!
PN: Welcome! Rohit ! So how are you finding and what is your academic background ?
Rohit: I come from ITBHU Varanasi and I have worked in Dr Reddy's Labs after graduation for an year. Now I am inclined towards doing research in simulations.
PN: Well ! Have you met Prof Pablo ?
Rohit: Yes I have. Had good interactions with him.
PN: His groups is one of the best groups in our department if you want to do simulations.
Rohit: Please tell me the philosophy and projects of your groups and how do you find yourself different from other groups ?
PN: We are focused on applications of block co-polymers and applying verious techniques to their research and development. ( Dr Nealey gave an example which could describe how chem enggs are different from polymer physicists. ! ) Now coming to how our group is different, we mostly do lot of experimental work and then there is always lot of interaction with the de Pablo group. They come up with simulations, and then we apply those thigns on a experiments. Sometimes it is the other way round. So lot of collaborative work happens amongst the two groups.
Rohit: How does the planning happen in your group? Do you decide the targets, and solve the problems, are you oriented towards research which is going to help the industry sooner or later or are you contributing more to science ? I see there is lot of difference between the philosophies of industries and academia as well.
PN: There are two extreams: One is focussed towards targeting the problems which are not solved in the industry. We can target those and then come up with solutions.
The other is trying new things which have not even been conceived but because lot of things have to be searched, and are not in existence, probably lots of applications are not known! These I would say are two extreams and we are not into any of these. We are a between the two. We look the open ended problems in the industries, and also try lots of new things and experiments on the things which might later be useful in the industries say after 5 years or 10 years !
Rohit: Actually I also find myself focused towards doing research which suppports technology and not simply contributing to science.
PN: Sounds good!
Rohit:When I compare simulations and experimental work I would say, one should have some part of experimental work and hands on experience of that as well.
PN: I put it like this: If you want to be best in something, then you should do only that. Its good to have motivation like that also. You can work on experiments, get hands on experience, then model and simulate the things. Probably that is even better as that gives you much idea about what techniques to be applied to the simulations. That sounds even great!!
Rohit: Sure sir! I think I will be doing some similar project in future. Though I am not decided with the research guide till now, but these two groups have interested me most because of the 'lithography'.
PN: Thats great !
Changing topic
PN: Well you are the first student from your institute actually. And looking at the applications etc, I find it little tough to judge what it means to be in the top 1.5 % of 150,000 students! Well they are actually equal !
Rohit: Ya more or less they are marginally different, and because it is one of the toughest exams so all are good! In fact, there isn't much difference in them.
PN: basically its also difficult for us to figure out how the institute compare with each other in India also ! How do YOU rate institutes in india? ! Which is the best IIT?
Rohit: In terms of the focus towards research, as far as I know, IIT Bombay is the best ! But we dont compare as such becuase the only difference is in the orientation towards a particular thing. That can be industry, or research or a combination etc. ( as sunil also keeps telling)
PN: Ya I also think so !IIT Bombay is the best! How is bombay university different from IIT ?
Rohit: Bombay university is focused towards applications in industries so those ppl find themselves fitting good in industries, whereas ppl from IIT Bombay fit into research better( Actually these are my perceptions and then there are people from both institutes which do good in both places. ) Well!! Is it the case ?! And do you find IITians from Bombay better than other students?
PN: ya !! IITians are definitely better but then all IITians are equal !!!! !
Changing topic again Well but how do you people happen to select the research institute and fields of interest.
Rohit: There are actually two extreme ways people do that. They either select an IIT and then fill all branches in the pref list or they select the field and fill the IITs after that, and then many do a combination of these. So its different from what people do here ! ( In between Prof PN also started giving the same opinion)
PN: ya...So have also cleared the IIT exam ? I am sure you are as good as people from IIT Bombay :)
Rohit: Ya I took the same exam ! Don't know if I am that good, But I will try to do good always. In fact for the reason that I am the first student from my college in chem engg, I would try to make a mark. I guess that helps you taking more students from my institute ?! Does it ?!
PN: Ya it surely helps. !! And we will take more students from your institute ! Also I thank you for all this feedback ! Do good here. I shall keep asking you things about your country !
Rohit: Thanks a lot ! :)
In between I asked for papers which he mailed right there.
That was an interesting meeting.
posted by Rohit Malshe at 11:58 AM
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