Prof. Prasenjit Ghosh on Resilience, Curiosity, Adaptability & Student Success Tips || Part 1/2

Decoding Phase Transitions - the DPT Podcast || Ep.8 || Guest: Prof. Prasenjit Ghosh (Part 1/2) In this episode of the DPT Podcast, we sit down with Prof. Prasenjit Ghosh, Associate Professor in the Departments of Physics at IISER Pune, India. His research group, the computational material science group, focuses on having a microscopic understanding of the physics and chemistry of materials (from zero dimensional clusters/molecules to three dimensional bulk) and how they interact with their environment, using first principles based computational methods. Prof. Ghosh’s journey is one of curiosity, resilience, and humility — from a young student discovering his love for physics, to earning his PhD at JNCASR, Bangalore, India, and later working across continents from Cambridge (UK) to Trieste (Italy). He also shares pro tips for students and early researchers on assessing their strengths, building confidence, and approaching academia with purpose and patience. Prof. Ghosh’s humility stands out — he speaks of achievements casually, never taking full credit for the perseverance and insight that shaped his path. 🎙️We dive into his inspiring journey. Here's some highlights: ✨ Overcoming setbacks after leaving school ✨ How to get back on track after failure ✨ Why he chose to drop an MBA for a PhD ✨ What to expect in a PhD interview and how to prepare for it 👉 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to the DPT Podcast for more inspiring conversations with brilliant minds in academia and beyond. You can find all the episodes of DPT podcast below YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK152Z45fAKnLusMqOyY5Q0zf2Fz9wiXk Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dpt-podcast/id1842946744 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0MJH3m3TJeEAALoTdc4T5e Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/972eaf17-675f-4e38-af37-ccf1f40d940b Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/decoding-phase-transitions-the-6239581 🎙️ About This Episode's Guest: Prof. Prasenjit Ghosh is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Physics and Chemistry at IISER Pune, India, where he joined in 2010. He completed his PhD at JNCASR, Bangalore, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at ICTP, Trieste, Italy. He holds an M.Sc. in Physics from BHU, Banaras and a B.Sc. from Calcutta University. Homepage: https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/research/department/physics/people/faculty/regular-faculty/prasenjit-ghosh/267 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mCp5bRoAAAAJ&hl=en His Research Areas: physics and chemistry of materials (from zero dimensional clusters/molecules to three dimensional bulk) and how they interact with their environment, heterogeneous catalysis, photo- and electro-catalysis, thermoelectrics and photovoltaics. 🔗 Resources Mentioned / Related Links: Raj College, Burdwan: https://burdwanrajcollege.ac.in Presidency College, Calcutta: https://presiuniv.ac.in/web/ Maharaj Manindra Chandra College: https://www.mmccollege.co.in Rajabazar Science College: https://www.caluniv-ucsta.net BHU, Banaras: https://www.bhu.ac.in/Site/Home/1_2_16_Main-Site Rajabazar Science College: https://www.caluniv.ac.in/campuses/campus-2.html JNCASR, Bangalore: https://www.jncasr.ac.in CNR Rao, JNCASR: https://www.jncasr.ac.in/faculty/cnrrao Theoretical Sciences Unit, JNCASR: https://www.jncasr.ac.in/research/research-units/theoretical-sciences-unit Stefano de Gironcoli, SISSA: https://cm.sissa.it/people/stefano-de-gironcoli Stephen Jenkins, Cambridge https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/person/sjj24 👋 Connect with Sananda Biswas (Host): YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@SanandaBiswasPhD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sananda-biswas-PhD/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sananda.biswas.phd 📌 **Chapters are below, but I recommend watching/listening the full journey for the complete context. ⏱️ Episode Chapters: 00:00 – What sparked his love for Physics 02:11 – Academic role models who inspired him 05:34 – Parents’ influence on his choices 08:11 – The “gap year” that shaped his path 12:42 – Why he left home for Calcutta one day 17:18 – When his father chose Physics over Economics for him 19:54 – Challenges after leaving school 28:22 – Practical tips for students rebuilding after setbacks 30:34 – Coming back on track: strategies to move forward 37:52 – Relief after success & how parents reacted 39:07 – Life at BHU: the Master’s experience in Banaras 44:27 – Why everyone should spend time in a hostel 48:18 – Why he pursued an MBA after his Master’s 50:35 – How to do a PhD in India (for science students) 55:42 – Dropping MBA for PhD – the turning point 01:00:50 – Preparing for PhD interviews: Pro Tips 01:09:07 – The JNCASR interview experience 01:14:50 – Inside his PhD journey at JNCASR, Bangalore 01:15:57 – His core PhD research questions 01:27:47 – Industry exposure during PhD 01:30:53 – Working with scientists across Cambridge & Trieste 01:40:26 – Final Thoughts