Central University of Punjab organized inaugural ceremony of seven-day SERB High-End Workshop (KARYASHALA) on Theory and Applications of In-Silico Approach for Materials Modelling

Bathinda, February 8, 2024: The Department of Computation Sciences at the Central University of Punjab, under the patronage of Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, is organizing one week High-End Workshop on Theory and Applications of In-Silico Approach for Materials Modelling from 05th to 11th Feb 2024. This workshop is fully funded by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under their SERB KARYASHALA scheme. The main objective of this workshop is to train PG and fresh entrants in PhD courses on ab-initio modelling techniques in materials science. A total of 25 participants different institutions of the country have been selected for training during this workshop.

Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director of IIT Ropar inaugurated this seven-day workshop. The inaugural event began with the university anthem. On this occasion, Prof. Ramakrishna Wusirika, Dean in-charge of Academics, and Prof. Sanjeev K Thakur, Dean of the School of Basic Sciences, addressed the participants by highlighting the importance of complementing computational methods and various scientific objectives and graced the symposium. At the start, Dr. K. Saraboji Kadhirvel, Head of the Department of Computational Sciences, welcomed the esteemed guests and participants. Dr. Jagdish Kumar, the workshop coordinator, outlined the objectives and learning outcomes of the workshop. Prof. B.P. Garg, CoE, and Prof. Monisha Dhiman, Director, IQAC, felicitated the guests and graced the event.

In the inaugural address, Prof. Rajeev Ahuja enlightened the role of computational physics in providing materials for Sustainable Energy Solutions and the importance of hydrogen as a clean alternative energy source for the emerging technological future. The plenary lecture by Prof. P. K. Ahluwalia (Himachal Pradesh University) focused on the Past, Present, and Future of Computational Physics and highlighted developments in the field. The following lecture by Prof. D. G. Kanhere (University of Pune) started with the foundations of density-functional theory in calculating the electronic structure of atoms and molecules. More than 150 participants, faculty members, research scholars were present in the inaugural function. The inaugural function was concluded with formal vote of thanks by Dr Sudip Chakraborty followed by National anthem.

This seven-day workshop (Feb 5-11, 2024) will be a blend of theory and hands on training which will be conducted by a team of experts in computational physics and various aspects of Materials Modelling. Around 12 resource persons will be delivering expert lectures during this workshop including Prof. Abir D. Sarkar from INST Mohali, Prof. M. Elizabeth Sobhia (NIPER, Mohali), Dr. Ashok Kumar (Physics Department, CU Punjab), Prof. Sunita Srivastava (Central University of Haryana), Prof. T J Dhilip Kumar (IIT Ropar), Prof. Ranjan Kumar (Punjab University) Prof. Manish Kumar (JNU, New Delhi), Dr. Arun Kumar (Govt. PG College, Bilaspur, H.P.) and Dr. Jagdish Kumar (Department of Computational Sciences, CU Punjab). The workshop will conclude on 11th February 2024.