Quantum Physics as the Gate to World Peace
Monalisa Singh Roy made her way from Kolkata to Bar-Ilan University, aiming for her research to achieve world-changing impact
The incredible and diverse country of India has 22 spoken languages and over 1500 dialects in use, which change approximately every 50 kilometers. While Monalisa’s military family eventually did settle in Kolkata, their nomadic lifestyle got her a window seat to the endless changes in human societies, as well as their hidden constants.
“Bar-Ilan University in Israel offers an excellent academic environment for cutting-edge research, particularly in the field of quantum phenomena and technology, which aligns with my main area of interest,” says Monalisa. “Having followed the research of my mentors and group leaders at BIU during my PhD, I applied for a departmental fellowship and was thrilled to be offered a postdoc position. I have been in Israel for 1.5 years and have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Despite occasional anxiety-inducing situations, I am grateful for the opportunity to be in a country with such rich history and inspiring people. Being at BIU has provided me with mental peace, space for growth, and the chance to become the best version of myself as a researcher and as a person. My colleagues and friends here are amazing, with their warmth, humor, and lessons on thinking on my feet and finding positivity. I am confident that when I look back on this period in the future, I will feel nostalgic, grateful, and filled with warmth.”
The habit of finding patterns, recognizing, co-dependencies, cause-effect relationships, invariant laws, and the hidden “logic” in everything became her natural choice of education.
After completing school in New Delhi, Monalisa moved to Kolkata for higher studies in Physics. During her education, she taught herself programming and computation, and was selected for the prestigious Post-B.Sc. Integrated Research (PBIR) scholarship, which allowed her to pursue research while earning my M.Sc. degree at the Satyendra Nath Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences.
Monalisa focused on theoretical Physics projects, exploring phenomena like self-organized criticalities and the quantum nature of phenomena. This experience shaped her research outlook, emphasizing simple models to understand complex phenomena. For her PhD, she delved into the interactions of quantum particles and their emergence in quantum matter. Currently, at Bar-Ilan University, she is expanding her research to explore the time dimension and the evolution of interacting quantum particles.
“Throughout human existence, we have evolved through the intertwining paths of science and cooperation. Our innate qualities of curiosity, learning, and resourcefulness have propelled us forward. It is our responsibility to ensure that the science we pursue serves the greater good of humanity and the environment, transcending political boundaries and divisions” Monalisa adds, and there’s no place like Bar-Ilan University to achieve this goal and impact the world.
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