Shantanu Desai

Shantanu Desai is a full-time Professor of Physics (and jointly of Artificial Intelligence) at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, a position he has held since October 2023 after serving as Associate Professor from 2016-2023. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Boston University in 2004 and is a member of several high-profile international collaborations, most notably the Super-Kamiokande Collaboration—sharing the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the discovery of atmospheric neutrino oscillations and solving the solar neutrino puzzle.

Education

• Ph.D. in Physics, Boston University, May 2004
• M.A. in Astronomy, Boston University, May 1997
• B.Tech in Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, May 1995

Research Interests

Desai’s work straddles observational cosmology, high-energy astrophysics, and data-driven methodologies. His core research areas include:

• Cosmology and Galaxy Clusters: probing dark energy, cluster abundances, and large-scale structure.
• Pulsar Timing & Gravitational Waves: member of the Indian Pulsar Timing Array searching for nano-Hertz gravitational waves.
• Neutrino Astrophysics: utilizing Super-Kamiokande data to study solar and atmospheric neutrinos.
• Gravitational Lensing: strong and weak lensing analyses within the Dark Energy Survey and Euclid.
• Machine Learning & Astrostatistics: developing AI/ML techniques for transient detection, lens finding, and survey optimization.
• High-Performance Computing: leveraging HPC resources for large-scale simulations and data processing.

Publication & Research Trends

Across 2024-2025, Desai’s publications reveal a focused synergy between multi-wavelength observations and advanced statistical methods. Topics include joint analyses of DES Y3 weak-lensing and ACT SZ data, targeted gamma-ray searches for dark matter signals in galaxy clusters, cosmological constraints on neutrino masses, and machine-learning-driven lens discoveries. These works consistently integrate large survey datasets (DES, ACT, Fermi-LAT, InPTA) with rigorous profile-likelihood techniques to address tensions in the standard cosmological model.

Scientific Awards

• 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics – shared as a member of the Super-Kamiokande Collaboration for the discovery of atmospheric neutrino oscillations and resolution of the solar neutrino problem.

Student Supervision & Mentorship

At IIT Hyderabad, Desai has mentored over 60 students ranging from B.Tech to Ph.D. levels, many proceeding to prestigious graduate programs worldwide (e.g., Penn State, University of Utah, Southern Methodist University, IUCAA, Swinburne, Florida Tech). Current advisees include Ph.D. students Siddhant Manna, Kamal Bora, Aman Srivastava, Gopika K., and Srinadh Reddy (co-supervised).

Laboratory & Team Affiliations

Desai leads a vibrant research group within the Physics Department at IIT Hyderabad. The group is actively involved in the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA), Dark Energy Survey (DES), Euclid Consortium, and Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) collaborations, maintaining dedicated computational resources and close ties with international partners for joint observations and data analysis.