Shounak De, PhD
Awards:
Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) Graduate Fellowship (2025)
Award of Excellence as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (2022)
What advice can you offer incoming physics students?
Resilience and patience are essential. Most days in research are slow and unglamorous, replete with routine setbacks. But the rare moments when you uncover something new, however modest, are the ones that make it all worth it. Those incremental advances drive scientific progress and sustain your passion for the subject.
What is the most impactful lesson you learned at Brown Physics?
The most impactful lesson I learned is that the right question often matters more than the correct answer. My PhD at Brown has taught me to seek simplicity within complexity, to challenge assumptions and to follow the threads that reveal hidden structures in what we thought we already understood deeply.
Who at Brown inspired you and why?
My PhD advisor, Professor Anastasia Volovich, has been a constant source of support, guidance, and inspiration throughout my PhD journey, and I owe her a special debt of gratitude. She has instilled in me the importance of articulating complex research with clarity and simplicity. This lesson has deeply shaped how I approach thinking about and presenting my work. Over the past four years, her mentorship has played a pivotal role in my growth as a researcher, guiding me through challenges and helping me evolve into a thoughtful, independent physicist. I will always cherish the faith she placed in me at several crucial moments, and her influence on my academic journey will remain close to my heart!
What Brown Physics faculty member significantly impacted your journey and why? Relate a favorite memory.
I am highly indebted to Professor Marcus Spradlin, who has been very instrumental in my progress during my PhD journey at Brown. His mentorship, unwavering support, and readiness to engage in physics discussions have been invaluable. I have greatly enjoyed our many collaborations, and Professor Spradlin has, in many ways, acted as a second advisor to me. His influence on my development as a researcher has been immense, and I am deeply thankful for the patience, knowledge, and enthusiasm he has shared.
Tell us about any awards you received, if an adviser was instrumental in the process, how you feel about it, and the impact the award or fellowship will have on your continued study/research.
I’m truly honored to have received the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) Graduate Fellowship Award. The KITP Graduate Fellowship is a prestigious program that offers select graduate students from around the world the opportunity to spend an extended period at KITP, one of the world’s leading research centers for theoretical physics. I was fortunate to be nominated for this fellowship by my PhD advisor, Professor Anastasia Volovich, whose unwavering support and belief in my work have been pivotal throughout my graduate journey at Brown.
This award provided me with the incredible opportunity to spend a semester fully immersed in KITP’s vibrant research environment under the mentorship of Professor David J. Gross, the 2004 Nobel Laureate in Physics. Professor Gross is one of the greatest living minds in theoretical physics, whose visionary leadership and groundbreaking contributions to quantum field theory and string theory have shaped the field for decades. It has been an extraordinary and humbling experience to interact and learn directly from him, to engage in discussions that have both deepened my current research and inspired new directions.
The KITP Graduate Fellowship has been transformative for me, exposing me to new perspectives and approaches to problems in theoretical physics. It placed me in close proximity to some of the most brilliant minds in the field, fostering countless valuable conversations and collaborations that have expanded my academic horizons. It has also bolstered my confidence as a young researcher entering the broader scientific community. I am highly indebted to KITP and Professor Volovich for making this experience possible. It is a chapter of my career I will always cherish.
Describe your time at Brown Physics and the people who most directly impacted your research, program experience and your career. This is your time to thank those who most deserve it!
My time at Brown Physics has been truly formative, both academically and personally. I am deeply grateful to my advisor, Professor Anastasia Volovich, whose constant support, guidance, and belief in my work have been pivotal throughout my PhD journey. She has shaped the way I approach research, communicate ideas, and navigate the challenges of academia. I am also highly indebted to Professor Marcus Spradlin for his invaluable guidance, steady encouragement and the collaborative spirit he brought to my PhD experience. Their mentorship has had a lasting impact on both my academic and personal growth.
I would also like to thank the Brown High Energy Theory Group, particularly Professors Stephon Alexander and Jiji Fan, for their support throughout my graduate years.
Finally, I owe a great deal to my collaborators and fellow researchers in the Brown High Energy Theory Group for their ideas, encouragement, and friendship. Working alongside and learning from them has been one of the highlights of my PhD!