Mrs. Keya Dharamvir
Professor Keya is a superannuated faculty member from Panjab University’s Physics Dept. She started her teaching career as lecturer in the Govt. Colleges of Haryana State. Her Teaching Experience spans about 37 years.
Currently she has an adjunct position at Chitkara University, Baddi (Solan) Himachal Pradesh.
Earlier she had worked as Teaching Assistant (IIT, Kanpur), Lecturer (Govt. Colleges in the State of Haryana, India), Research Assistant or Post-Doctoral Fellow (Imperial College of Science & Technology, London), Research Associate & Pool Officer (PU, Chandigarh, India).
Her early education was at Varanasi and Allahabad. She obtained Ist division throughout and held Merit Positions in the UP Board in High-School as well as Intermediate examinations (#23 in UP, 1st among girl candidates). She qualified for the National Science Talent Scholarship (NCERT) in 1966, and continued with it till Ph. D. This is like the present day INSPIRE fellowships.
She graduated from Allahabad University and went on to do Masters (M.Sc., Physics) from IIT, Kanpur, where she also completed Ph. D. with specialization in Condensed Matter (Solid State) Theory.
At Panjab University she has been a Coordinator for the Nano-science and Nano-technology program which is run by the Centre for Nano-science and Nano-technology, Univ. Instt. for Emerging Areas in Science and Technology (CEAST). This is a program she helped to design and to get started. She has also held the position of Dean, International Students.
4 M.Phil students, 4 M. Tech. and 18 Ph. D. scholars have had Prof. Keya as their Thesis Supervisor.
Her Research Interests and Contributions include a wide variety of topics which include theoretical, computational and experimental approaches to a number of areas of current interest in Condensed Matter Physics and Nano-materials. Her research Works were carried out at IIT, Kanpur, Imperial College, London and Panjab University, Chandigarh.
The main body of her work consists of topics in Nano-materials and Low Dimensional Systems such as Fullerenes and Fullerides – C60 solid, Carbon nanotubes, Boron Nitride Nanotubes, metallic Nanotubes and metal clusters, Nitrogen containing C60 as energetic materials, Metallic Clusters and Nanowires. Her experimental work is on production of carbon nanotubes, and ion irradiation of carbon nanomaterials.
Prior to carbon nanomaterials she worked on Properties of two-dimensional electron gas, Bound States of Quarkonia and Mixed Valence systems. This was the subject of her Ph.D. thesis and post doctoral research at Imperial College London. The paper from her Ph.D. work was considered a pioneering one in the area and is still being quoted (over 400 citations).
She has authored over 140 research papers published in refereed journals; 1 book of undergraduate
level and several popular articles. The research papers have over 700 citations.
The funded Research Projects undertaken by her are on Properties of Fullerenes and Derivatives, Phase Transformation and Fragmentation of Fullerene Films under Ion Irradiation, Role of Crystallinity and Substrate in Ion Irradiation of Fullerene Films, Physico chemical changes in Carbon nanotubes by Irradiation.
Panjab University was shortlisted as a Centre for Potential in Nano-sciences by the UGC (July, 2011 Rs. 1.2 crores) and this project has recently concluded. This project proposal was initiated and prepared by Prof. Dharamvir.
Conferences attended: International 12 (including three on Nanotech in Bay Area, California, USA) National 26.
She enjoys lecturing on her research topics as well as on those of history of science. She has delivered a large number of Invited Lectures in schools, colleges and to a specialist audience.
Membership of Academic Bodies:
- Life Member, Indian Physics Association.
- Life Member, Indian Science Congress Association.
- Member, Indian Association of Physics Teachers.
Being a socially conscious scientist, she has happily undertaken a good amount of organizational and Administrative Work. She has been Member, Panjab University Standing Committee on Women in Workplace Member, Committee Against Sexual Harassment of various institutions Seminars’ Coordinator, Physics dept. for many years Warden, Mata Gujri Hall, Panjab University, 1998 – 2002 Member, Users’ Committee, Inter University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi, 2008 – 2010 Associated with organizing a number of conferences at the University and Department levels and a Member of several UGC Evaluation Teams for Girls’ Colleges.
Her current interest mainly lies in popularisation of science through her NGO, Society for Promotion of Science and Technology in India (SPSTI), of which she is the Gen. Secy. The Society hold many events throughout the year for students, public and members it now has a handsome amount of grant from the DST, GOI, for running their Mobile Science Laboratory ‘Circus of Science’.
Contact
Phone: +91-172-2541741 (Phy. O.), +91 9478000088 (M)
E-mail: keya@pu.ac.in, keyadv@gmail.com
Fax: +91-172-2783336