GUWAHATI :Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati’sProf. Debabrata Sikdar, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, has been named an Emerging Leader 2023 by the prestigious Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, published by IOP Publishing. This accolade recognizes early career researchers who exhibit exceptional talent and promise in their respective fields.

Prof. Sikdar has been honored for his remarkable contributions to condensed matter physics, particularly in the areas of nanophotonic and metamaterial devices. The Emerging Leaders designation is awarded based on a rigorous selection process by the journal’s Editorial Board, and is reserved for researchers who completed their PhD in 2013 or later and have demonstrated exceptional potential in their research.

Prof. Sikdar’s research focuses on developing novel nanophotonic and metamaterial devices that promise to revolutionize conventional photonic systems by reducing their footprint and energy consumption. His notable contributions include:

• Proposing nanoparticle meta-grids to improve light extraction from LEDs.
• Designing electro-tunable smart windows and radiative cooler technologies.
• Utilizing the epsilon-near-zero effect in nanophotonic metamaterials for dynamic optical modulation.
• Innovating metamaterials to enhance and redistribute local electric and magnetic fields.

These advancements reflect the state-of-the-art research being conducted at the Sikdar Nanophotonics and Metamaterials Research Group (SNMG) at IIT Guwahati.

In response to his recognition, Prof. Sikdar remarked, “I am deeply honored to be recognized as an Emerging Leader 2023. This acknowledgment is a testament to the collective efforts of my research group at IIT Guwahati.

Our mission has always been to push the boundaries of nanophotonics and metamaterials. This recognition will not only elevate our global visibility but also accelerate our efforts to translate our research into practical solutions addressing key challenges in photonics. We look forward to leveraging this honor to foster more collaborations and advance our research.”

Prof. Sikdar anticipates that this recognition will enhance the visibility of research conducted by his team at IIT Guwahati and facilitate further national and international collaborations. This will advance the development of sophisticated photonic devices and contribute to groundbreaking applications in high-speed optical communication, 6G, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Additionally, the award serves as a significant motivator for Prof. Sikdar’s team, encouraging them to transition their research from the laboratory to real-world applications. Their recent work on electro-tunable metasurfaces, which allows for dynamic control of light polarization states, exemplifies their innovative approach, and promises to revolutionize polarization control in photonics, enabling versatile applications across various optical systems.