{"613884":{"#nid":"613884","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Bharath Hebbe Madhusudhana, M.S. in Mathematics, Ph.D. in Physics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhile in high school, Bharath Hebbe Madhusudhana wanted to be a mathematician or a physicist. Now, he takes home degrees in the two fields he esteems the most: an M.S. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Physics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe mathematics degree was almost an afterthought. When Bharath began his Ph.D. program in physics, he also started taking one graduate-level class in mathematics per semester. Before long, he needed only a few more, as well as a thesis, to complete the requirements of the master\u0026rsquo;s degree.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPrior to Tech, Bharath completed his undergraduate degree in physics in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, in Uttar Pradesh, India. He knew he would do a Ph.D. \u0026ldquo;I joined Georgia Tech in the pursuit of a place where cutting-edge research was being done,\u0026rdquo; he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Tech, Bharath not only studied his major fields but also pushed himself to communicate his science well. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/583934\u0022\u003EIn 2016, he participated in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Three Minute Thesis Competition\u003C\/a\u003E. Competitors explained their research to a diverse audience in just three minutes.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the time, Bharath was a fourth-year Ph.D. student. He had discovered something fundamental about rubidium atoms: When cooled to about 170 nanoKelvins \u0026ndash; almost absolute zero \u0026ndash; and exposed to a magnet that traces a circle around them, the very-low-energy rubidium atoms can remember something abstract. They can tell the area of an abstract surface \u0026ndash; called the Boy\u0026rsquo;s surface \u0026ndash; corresponding to the real traced circle.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor his spirited explanation of how atoms, when cooled to almost immobility, remember abstract geometric phenomena, the judges named Bharath the third-place winner and the audience voted him as one of two winners of the People\u0026rsquo;s Choice award.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most important thing you learned at Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nApart from the technical knowledge necessary to conduct scientific research in my area, I learned the art of academic communication and collaboration in research. The papers I wrote and the conferences I attended helped me learn the basics of communicating my research work. While working with multiple faculty members at Georgia Tech, I gained experience in scientific collaboration. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your proudest achievement at Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nOne of my research papers was rejected three times in a row by the same journal. However, with a carefully crafted rebuttal, I got it published after the fourth resubmission. The process was challenging, but I was supported extensively by the faculty members at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich professor(s) or class(es) made a big impact on you?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nI gained a lot from the technical guidance of my advisor, Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/michael-chapman\u0022\u003EMichael Chapman\u003C\/a\u003E. I owe my experimental skills and my intuitive understanding of atomic physics to him. He also provided valuable advice on crucial career-related decisions that I had to make in the later part of my Ph.D. work. His guidance has been pivotal in my professional development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessors \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/brian-kennedy\u0022\u003EBrian Kennedy\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.physics.gatech.edu\/user\/carlos-sa-de-melo\u0022\u003ECarlos Sa de Melo\u003C\/a\u003E also made a significant impact on my understanding of physics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Kennedy was always welcoming and available to talk about the theoretical aspects of our experiment. The discussions he had with me helped steer my research work into a productive direction. He also helped me extensively in writing a theoretical research paper and getting it published. During this process, with Professor Kennedy\u0026rsquo;s support, I learned how to respond to critical reviews of a research paper.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeing an experimental atomic physicist, I owe almost all my understanding of condensed-matter theory to Professor Sa de Melo. He is very friendly and always enthusiastic to talk about physics. I remember several late-night discussions with him in the laboratory, which resulted in a research paper that he and I wrote. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI am grateful to two professors from the School of Mathematics, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/math.gatech.edu\/people\/greg-blekherman\u0022\u003EGreg Blekherman\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/people.math.gatech.edu\/~etnyre\/\u0022\u003EJohn Etnyre\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs my master\u0026rsquo;s thesis advisor, Professor Blekherman is responsible for my technical knowledge in the area of convex optimization.\u0026nbsp; He was kind and accommodating as a thesis supervisor.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Etnyre helped me understand the mathematical basis of my thesis project, which involved the fascinating subject of topology. He was always made himself available for discussions, from which I benefited greatly. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your most vivid memory of Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nI have several.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Sa de Melo would sometimes come to our lab at 9 PM. Along with a freshly brewed pot of tea, we talked about physics. Sometimes, we would lose track of time, only to realize that it is past 1 AM and we should call it a day. These discussions alone have resulted in a couple of research papers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the evenings, I would go on long walks, circling the campus area, occasionally stopping at the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/crc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E Campus Recreation Center\u003C\/a\u003E for a swim or rock climbing or a game of ping-pong.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIn what ways did your time at Georgia Tech transform your life?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nProfessionally, I now have a clear view of what I am going to do. At Georgia Tech, along with the acquiring the necessary technical skills, I developed an understanding of the goals of the specific research field. This understanding helped me decide what I want to do next. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat unique learning activities did you undertake?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIn 2016, Professor Chapman encouraged me to participate in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition at Tech. The challenge was to communicate my thesis work in three minutes to a nonexpert audience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile preparing for 3MT, I learned the art of oral communication, and it changed the way I presented my work at conferences thereafter. I was fortunate to win prize money, which I used to attend a conference. Professor Chapman had the foresight to know that participating in 3MT would be a good step in my professional development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give to incoming graduate students at Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E Georgia Tech has vast intellectual wealth, held by the numerous knowledgeable faculties in various disciplines. I would advise incoming graduate students to make use of this resource, as well as the facilities available on campus, to maximize their intellectual development during their time here.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere are you headed after graduation?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nI am starting a postdoctoral position at the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.mpq.mpg.de\/en\u0022\u003EMax Planck Institute of Quantum Optics\u003C\/a\u003E, in Garching, Germany.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessors Chapman, Kennedy, and Sa de Melo helped me develop the skills and confidence to continue in academia.They prepared me for an academic career, particularly for this postdoctoral position.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"From India to Atlanta to Germany, this skilled scientist also wants to communicate his science well"}],"field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From India to Atlanta to Germany, this skilled scientist also wants to communicate his science well."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2018-11-05 19:22:03","changed_gmt":"2018-12-13 20:55:58","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2018-12-12T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"613880":{"id":"613880","type":"image","title":"Bharath Hebbe Madhusudhana","body":null,"created":"1541445053","gmt_created":"2018-11-05 19:10:53","changed":"1541445053","gmt_changed":"2018-11-05 19:10:53","alt":"","file":{"fid":"233682","name":"Bharath_Picture.tall250.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bharath_Picture.tall250_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Bharath_Picture.tall250_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":86871,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Bharath_Picture.tall250_0.jpg?itok=Cd6ZQyD9"}}},"media_ids":["613880"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/583934","title":"Physics Ph.D. Student Shines in Georgia Tech\u2019s Three Minute Thesis Finals"}],"groups":[{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"179608","name":"Fall 2018 graduates"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"173647","name":"_for_math_site_"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}