Dr. Gayathri R Pisharody
Assistant Professor
- Teaching
About
Physicist specializing in Soft Condensed Matter and Nanoscience, with 7+ years of expertise spanning soft-nanomaterial composites and cell biophysics. Following a PhD at Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) focusing on membrane dynamics and active matter. I am an academic mentor and collaborator focused on bringing in curiosity-driven teaching and research leadership.
Project Researcher, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), 2017 - 2017
Summer Intern, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), 2014 - 2014
Research featured by DST Media Cell and PIB India for works on 2D nanomaterials and radiative heat barrier devices.
Publications highlighted in Materials Horizons themed collection on advanced nanomaterials.
Developed scalable, non-polymer LC alignment methods and low-voltage IR regulators.
Qualified GATE Physics (2018)
Best Poster Award – 13th Bangalore India Nano 2024 Conference (KSTePS & JNCASR)
Best Poster Award – Disordered Soft Systems: Recent Trends (DSSR), CeNS (2024)
Course Excellence Award – “Nanoscience and Device Fabrication,” from IISc Bangalore (2019)
Oral and poster presentations at 6 National and 1 International conference
9 International publications (8 published and 1 under review) and 2 Indian patents (1 granted and 1 under review)
Engineering Physics - Quantum Mechanics
Class coordinator (2025-26 batch) at PES University, EC Campus
• Soft–nanomaterial composites for device applications • Optical, photonic, and smart materials • 2D nanomaterials and soft matter physics • Cell biophysics
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1. Gayathri R Pisharody, P. Sahoo, D S S. Rao, H S S R Matte, and S K. Prasad, “Solution-processed h-BN film as an alignment layer for Liquid Crystal Devices: Realization of a non-polymer approach for unidirectional alignment over unprecedentedly large areas” Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2022, 9, 2200486. (I.F. = 6.39)
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2. Gayathri R. Pisharody, P. Sahoo, D. S. S. Rao, H. S. S. R. Matte, D. Sikdar, and S. K. Prasad, “IR regulation through preferential placement of h-BN nanosheets in a polymer network liquid crystal” Materials Horizons, 2024, 11, 554 – 565. (I.F.= 15.717)
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3. Gayathri R. Pisharody, P. Sahoo, D. S. S. Rao, H. S. S. R. Matte, Abhishek Kumar Mishra, and S K. Prasad, “A generic approach for aligning liquid crystals using solution-processed 2D materials on ITO-free surfaces”. – Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2024, 12, 10707. (I.F. = 8.067)
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4. Gayathri R. Pisharody, P. Sahoo, D. S. S. Rao, H. S. S. R. Matte, and S. K. Prasad, “Polymer network liquid crystal incorporating a 2D material: Influence of lateral size and concentration of h-BN nanoflakes”. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2025, 418, 126735 (I.F. = 6.633)
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5. Gayathri. R. Pisharody, P. Sahoo, D. S. S. Rao, H. S. S. R. Matte, and S. K. Prasad, “Influence of the thermodynamic phase during polymerization and embedded hexagonal boron nitride nanoflakes on a polymer network liquid crystal” Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2025, 431, 127809 (I.F. = 6.633)
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6. Gayathri. R. Pisharody, D. S. S. Rao, and S. K. Prasad, “Towards a photoluminescent memory device; Quantum emission from nematic and smectic phases” – under review in Advanced Optical Materials (I.F. = 10.05)
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7. M K Sonali, Gayathri R Pisharody, Suresh D Kulkarni and Poornima Bhagavath, “H-bonded liquid crystals: effect of ZnO nanoparticles on the enhancement in electrical conductivity” Nano Express, 2025, 6, 015013. (I.F. = 2.7)
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8. P. Satapathy, Gayathri R Pisharody, D. S. S. Rao, H. S. S. R. Matte, and S. K. Prasad “A critical overview of the influence of graphene and its analogues on nematic liquid crystals” Just accepted in Materials Horizons, 2025. (I.F. = 15.717)
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9. R. Sahoo, Gayathri R. Pisharody, D. S. S. Rao, C. V. Yelamaggad, and S. K. Prasad, “Influence of an Imposed Network on One- and Three-Dimensional Photonic Liquid Crystal Structures through the Polymer Template Technique” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2024, 128, 12775. (I. F. = 3.2)
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1. Patent No – 500901; Grant date – 18/01/2024; Title: “A method for fabrication of liquid crystal device with unidirectional alignment of liquid crystal
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2. Patent applied – 202341034523; Applied date – 17/05/2023; Title: A composite of polymer network liquid crystals and hexagonal boron nitride; method and device thereof.
Education
PhD, Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, 2024
Post-doc, Raman Research Institute, 2025