Ashim Nandi has been awarded a Negev-Zin Fellowship to pursue his PhD at BGU. His main research will focus both theoretically and computationally on the role of tunneling in a chemical reaction. Tunneling will play a critical role in future fleets of environmentally friendly vehicles because it is an integral part of the process by which hydrogen fuel cells would power a vehicle.
It has been an exciting time for the young scholar. Nandi also won a prize for excellence in his studies from Adama. Moreover, he was chosen as one of the best seven BGU students from India to meet Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, during his recent visit to Israel.
Nandi hails from the northeastern part of India. He obtained a B.Sc. in Chemistry from St. Edmund's College with a rank in the University and secured a first class degree and a gold medal in his M.Sc. in Chemistry from North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India. Ashim developed an interest in quantum chemistry during his undergraduate studies when he came across a “spooky action" called "Quantum Mechanical Tunneling."
He joined Ben-Gurion University in July 2016 under the supervision of Dr. Sebastian Kozuch to prepare for embarking on a PhD. During this time, he published an article in one of chemistry's top journals - Journal of the American Chemical Society. The paper describes the discovery of a new selectivity in a particular chemical reaction, which he and Kozuch termed the "Isotope-Controlled Selectivity by Quantum Tunneling." By applying this technique, certain types of chemical reactions, as described in the article, can be controlled.
Above: Seven BGU students from India, including Ashim Nandi, met Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, during his recent visit to Israel
