Prabhakar Misra

Prabhakar Misra is Professor of Physics and Director of the Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences, Howard University, Washington, DC. He concurrently serves as visiting scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2010–present) and research affiliate at the START Center of Excellence, University of Maryland, College Park (2014–present).

Education & Academic Foundation

• Ph.D. in Physics, The Ohio State University, 1986
• M.S. in Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, 1981
• M.Sc. in Physics, University of Calcutta, 1978
• B.Sc. (Physics Honors), University of Calcutta, 1975

Research Interests

Prof. Misra’s experimental program centers on laser spectroscopy of nanomaterials. Using advanced Raman spectroscopy, optogalvanic spectroscopy and molecular-dynamics simulations, his group probes the structural, vibrational and electronic properties of graphene, carbon nanotubes, metal oxides and other low-dimensional materials for applications in gas sensing, optoelectronics, energy storage and planetary exploration instrumentation. A second major thrust involves the development of stand-off Raman optical systems for robotic lunar rover/lander missions, enabling remote mineralogical and volatile analysis of the lunar regolith.

Publication Trends

Over the last three years his >40 peer-reviewed articles focus on two synergistic themes: (1) astrophysical spectroscopy and stellar magnetic activity using LAMOST, TESS and other large surveys to characterize exoplanet host stars and flare phenomena, and (2) instrumentation and spectroscopy for planetary exploration, including compact Raman telescopes, Monte Carlo modeling of lunar volatile cycles, and Mars regolith studies relevant to extant life.

Scientific Honors & Awards

• Fellow, American Physical Society (2015)
• Fellow, American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery
• Senior Member, Optical Society of America
• Fulbright Scholar & Visiting Professor, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai (2004–2005)
• NASA Administrator’s Fellowship (1999–2001)
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Certificate of Appreciation (2008)
• Excellence in Research Productivity Award, Howard University College of Arts & Sciences (2016)
• 2018 Robert H. Goddard Team Award for Excellence in Science (DREAM2 team)
• Nominee, Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (2016)

Grants & Mentoring Leadership

• Principal Investigator, NSF REU Site in Physics at Howard University (PHY-1358727, PHY-1659224) – $597 310 total
• Principal Investigator, NASA Early Opportunities Program for Under-represented Minorities (NNX16AC90A) – $499 771
• Co-Investigator, DREAM2 Dynamic Response of Environments at Asteroids, the Moon, and moons of Mars (NNX14AG20A) – $52 000
• Co-Investigator, Remote Observations of the Lunar Sodium Corona (NNX17AJ48G) – $67 897

Prof. Misra has mentored 40 undergraduate students, 12 Ph.D. students and 6 post-doctoral associates in his laboratory and serves as faculty advisor to the Howard University chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS).

Laboratory & Team

The Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory at Howard University houses pulsed and CW laser systems, high-resolution Raman spectrometers, cryostats and custom-built stand-off Raman telescopes. Current graduate researchers include Hawazin Alghamdi (SiO₂ gas sensors), Olasunbo Farinre (temperature-dependent graphene Raman studies), and undergraduate team members Iman Ahmed, Paras Pokharel and Sandesh Rimal working on SEM/Raman characterization and multiphysics modeling of nanomaterials.