Premala Chandra

Premala (“Premi”) Chandra is a theoretical physicist who has pursued her research in both academic and industrial settings. Premi does “blue sky” research on problems inspired by experimental puzzles observed in materials. In her more applied work, she has designed and patented a novel computer memory suitable for high-density information storage; she has also worked on layered nanostructures towards developing lead-free transducers.

The synergy between strong correlations and quantum fluctuations in condensed matter systems is known to result in emergent quantum phases with intriguing properties. Understanding these challenging quantum many-body systems is a problem of central importance in theoretical physics; it is also the basis for developing and controlling new materials for developing and controlling new materials for future technologies. Premi is fascinated by rich phases of quantum matter that emerge from the confluence of quantum mechanics and complexity. Most recently her main goal is to develop new theoretical frameworks to study dynamical quantum behaviors in correlated quantum materials, both naturally occurring and synthetic, as they evolve along thermal and non-thermal pathways; the aim is to produce phenomenological descriptions of existing enigmatic experiments and to make predictions for future measurements.

Premi has pursued her studies and her research at Yale, Exxon Research, UC Santa Barbara, Bell Labs, Princeton, NEC Research Institute, Cambridge (UK), CBPF (Rio) and ISSP (U. Tokyo). In 2003 she joined the Center for Materials Theory at Rutgers University as a Professor. Premi is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK) and of the American Physical Society. She has served on the Editorial Board of the New Journal of Physics and as a Member of the Aspen Center for Physics (ACP) Advisory Group. Premi is strongly committed to developing a welcoming and inclusive community in the Rutgers department and beyond. She has served on the APS Committee on the Status of Women in Physics and continues to participate in their Gender Site Visits; at Rutgers she is the co-founder and the faculty advisor of the Rutgers Minorities in Physics and Astronomy group.

To learn more about Premi please take a look at her CV.