Pranav Sharma

Address:
Correspondence: B-673, Kamla Nagar
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
PIN- 282005
E-mail: pranav@physics.org
Telephone: +91 9520010001

Date of Birth: 15thApril, 1993

Country of Birth: India
Citizenship: India
Permanent Resident: India

Education:
Masters of Dr. B R Ambedkar 2016-2018 6.2/10 CGPA
Science(Physics) University,Agra
Bachelor of Technology Dr. A P J Aabdul Kalam 2011-2015 6.6/10 CGPA
(Electrical and Electronics T e c h n i c a l University,
Engineering) Lucknow [Anand
EngineeringCollege]

Intermediate CBSE 2010 7.5/10 CGPA

Matriculation CBSE 2008 8.5/10 CGPA

Funding:

Project PI Co-I Funding Agency Amount Awarded

Astronomy Winter Shantanu Basu Pranav Sharma IAU-Office of €4000
School, India Astronomy for
Development

Research Engagements:

Tenure Project Title Supervisor/ Host & Institute

September-October 2015 Black Hole Binaries in Active Prof. Shantanu Basu; Dept. of
Galactic Nuclei Physics & Astronomy, University
of Western Ontario, Canada.
 April-November 2016
April 2016 – June 2017
April 2017 – May 2017
August- October 2017
April 2019
Astrophysics of Black Hole sand
Dr. Shiroman Prakash; Dept. of
Binaries:The GR Perspective Physics & Computer Science,
Dayalbagh Educational Institute,
India.
Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Dr. Henry Throop; Planetary
Spring) Photometric Analysis Science Institute, USA.
Spectroscopic Study of V2492 Dr. Devendra K Ojha, Tata
Cyg: Promising candidate for Institute of Fundamental
studying FUors Research, Mumbai, India
Book writing project Prof. Shantanu Basu; Dept. of
Physics & Astronomy, University
of Western Ontario, Canada.
- Scientific Visit - Prof. Takaaki Kajita, Institute for
Cosmic Ray Research, Kashiwanoha,
Japan

Employment History:

January 2021 – Present Science Historian Institut Français en Inde,

November 2017 – March 2020
November 2017 – March 2020
November 2019 – Present
October 2016 – Present
August 2017– October 2017
April 2017 – May 2017
October 2016 – March 2017
French Embassy, New Delhi,
India
Curator Space Museum, BM
Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad,
India
Scientific Officer BM Birla Science Centre,
Hyderabad, India
Science Advisor Arc Ventures Pvt. Ltd.
Local Organizing Chair Winter School on Astronomy
(2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)
Graduate Research Assistant Dept. of Physics & Astronomy,
Western University, Canada
Research Assistant Dept. of Astronomy &
Astrophysics, Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research, India
Local Organizing Chair IAU Winter School on Astronomy

Key Recognition:

Fellowship, The Royal Astronomical Society, United Kingdom.

Karmaveer Gold Chakra and Karmaveer Global Fellowship 2019, awarded for creating academic opportunities for
students, contributing majorly in enhancing academic engagement, education (teaching & policy) and curating an
interdisciplinary Space Museum.
Karmaveer Silver Chakra and Karmaveer Global Fellowship 2016, awarded in recognition to efforts made in science
communication and astronomy education internationally.
 Karmaveer Chakra and Global Karmaveer Fellowship 2015, awarded in recognition to efforts
made nationally in science communication.

(Karmaveer Chakra is a National People’s Award given in collaboration with United Nations by
iCONGO for social responsibility and social justice.)

Scientific Meetings & Conferences:

 Organizing Secretary & Local Organizing Chair, Winter School on Astronomy 2020, Hyderabad,
India.
 Organizing Secretary & Local Organizing Chair, International Conference on Fundamentals of Physics
(Physics-2019), Hyderabad, India
 Organizing Secretary & Local Organizing Chair, Winter School on Astronomy 2019, Hyderabad, India.
 Organizing Secretary, 2017 GP Birla Distinguished Lecture by Prof. Takaaki Kajita (Physics Nobel
Laureate-2015)
 Organizing Secretary & Local Organizing Chair, Winter School on Astronomy 2017, Hyderabad,
India (Organized by Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Western Ontario, Canada
in collaboration with Birla Science Center, Hyderabad, India and supported by International
Astronomical Union)

 Organizing Secretary & Local Organizing Chair, Astronomy at Taj-2016,Winter School &
Workshop on Star Formation (Organized by Physics and Astronomy Department, University of
Western Ontario, Canada in collaboration with Anand Engineering College,Agra.)
 Organizing Secretary, LISA Pathfinder Talk on „Einstein and Relativity‟
 Talk Host, “The Strange World of Antimatter”, Dr. Rolf Landua (CERN, Geneva) at Anand
Engineering College, Agra, India.

Publications
 Basu, S., Sharma, P., Essential Astrophysics, Book, Institute of Physics, London, UK.
(Manuscript Submitted)
 Kajita, T., Sharma, P., Into the World of Neutrinos, Book, In prepration.

Invited & Contributed Talks:

 Logic and the Scientific Outlook, Lecture Series (2012-2105), Anand Engineering College, Agra
 Autocorrelation function as a tool for Speech Recognition, Anand Engineering College, Agra [20
January 2015]
 Black Hole Binaries in Active Galactic Nuclei – Winter School on Astronomy, Agra, India [19
February 2016]
 Fermi‟s Paradox–Symposium on National Science Day, Sulla Musallam College, Calicut, India[26
February 2017]
 Why watching the sky will save the World, REX ConvLive- 2016, Gurgaon, India [26 November
2016]
 The Nature of Scientific Thought, Indian Institute for Science Education & Research, Tirupati, India
[2 January 2017]
 Scientific Curiosity & Research, Indian Institute of Technology, Tirupati, India [3 January 2017]
 The Evolution of Galaxies, Space Symposium, Rajahmundry, India [16 February 2017]
 TEDx: The Betrayal of the Intellectuals and the Les Nouveau Intellectuals (UPES, Dehradun, India)
[13 April 2017]
 Photometric Analysis of Comet Siding Spring, Winter School on Astronomy 2017, Hyderabad, India
  Scientific Method, BM Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, India [14 April 2018]
 Physics around Supermassive Black Holes, BM Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, India [5 May
2018]
 On the Nature of Scientific Method, BM Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, India [12 October 2018]
 The Science of the movie Interstellar, BM Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad, India [3 February 2019]
 The Final Parsec Problem, Winter School on Astronomy 2019, Hyderabad, India
 Neo-Scientific Outlook and Pseudo-Scientific Catastrophe: Science‟s Intellectual Function in Society,
Physics-2019, Hyderabad, India
 Black Holes, Time Warps and Modern Cosmology, National Institute for Technology, Hamirpur,
Himachal Pradesh, India [18 October 2019]
 Debussy‟s Clair de Lune and the Active Galactic Nuclei, Indian Institute for Technology, Mandi, India
[11 November 2019]
 TEDx: The Romance of Indian Space Program (Agra, India) [16 February 2020]
 The Romance of Astronomy, Winter School on Astronomy, Hyderabad, India [18 February 2020]
 Origins of Indo-French Partnership in Space, WINGS India 2020, Hyderabad, India [13 March
2020]
 India & France in Space: A Common History, Science Talks at Alliance, Alliance Francaise,
Hyderabad, India [7 May 2020]

Science Popularization and Communication:

 Curated an exhibition on Indo-French partnership in space technology. [CNES & Alliance Francaise –
Hyderabad initiative]
 Curated India‟s first privately hosted Space Museum in collaboration with Indian Space Research
Organization.
 “Romancing with the Stars”, a series of twenty five sky watching and astronomy workshops
(Ongoing).
 “Bramhanaad” Tracing the universe form its primeval sound. Series of Seminars, symposiums and
exhibitions in association with European Space Organization and CERN (2010-2016)
 The Cosmicomics – Masterclass on modern astronomy for school and college students (2010-
Present)
 God‟s Paintbrush: exhibition on the wonders of the universe in association with European Southern Observatory
(2012, 2013,2014)
 In Search of Our Cosmic Origins- Two day workshop on birth of universe and recent trends in
research in the field.
 The Unsung Tale of Indian Space Program with Prof. Yash Pal (2014, 2015)
 The Joy of Stargazing- Positional Astronomy Workshop (2009-2017)

Courses Taught:
Amateur Astronomy Course: December 2017 – March 2018
Basics of Astronomy & Astrophysics: April 2018 – May 2018
Master Class on Astrophysics: August 2018- November 2018
Astronomy for Poets: October-November 2019
 Memberships
 Elected Fellow, The Royal Astronomical Society, United Kingdom
 President, Yash Pal Center For Science And Technology, India
 Member, Governing Council, Centre For Science Research And Development, India
 Faraday Member, The Royal Institution of Great Britain(2011-2012)
 Affiliate Member, International Association of Engineers

Other Engagements:

 Inter-academy partnership through academia-industry liaison.

 Scientific Adviser for Arc Venture Companies.
 Intergovernmental liaison for privately funded research ventures.
 Education via Drama Intervention

Relevant Links:
https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/science-as-a-way-of-
life/article30899265.ece?fbclid=IwAR242LqWbeGqjLhT6hhZOYRAxd2LQPg09coKs96YqfzMHsuZ07QF-cNlO34
https://www.edexlive.com/campus/2020/feb/20/heres-why-you-need-to-pay-attention-to-the-ongoing-winter-school-
on-astronomy-10282.html
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2019/dec/21/a-space-travellers-tale-2078898.html
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/birla-science-centres-pranav-sharma-gets-rex-karmaveer-
award/article30214217.ece
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/pilikula-to-host-full-dome-film-festival-planetarium-
conference/article29846850.ece
https://www.isro.gov.in/update/08-aug-2019/space-museum-opened-hyderabad-with-isro-collaboration
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2019/nov/09/ummeed-for-urdu-2059177.html
https://astrowin19.wixsite.com/astrowin19
https://aandg.org/sections/outreach/opening-boundaries-in-astronomy
http://www.astro.uwo.ca/~basu/agra2016/agra_report.html
http://www.eaubergine.com/images/AstroAtTaj_Agra_Feb16/show.html
https://projects.westerngazette.ca/astronomy-students-experience-life-in-india/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15HnVwbqLWU
https://newsx.tv/2019/09/06/watch-hyderabads-birla-planetarium-curator-pranav-sharma-explains-chandrayaan-2s-
moon-mission/
https://www.brightpunjabexpress.com/index.php/2019/09/27/lets-rhyme-along-with-sarabhai-with-the-universe/
https://twitter.com/TimesNow/status/1169859655649988608
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/catch-a-glimpse-of-indian-space-journey-at-birla-science-
centre/article29386242.ece
https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7me99/this-young-bipolar-scientist-designs-indias-top-space-museums
Videos / Talks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITzMMAI464I
https://youtu.be/KI8jnbAjr84
https://youtu.be/zA0LZELQoN8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r5WxRuQp9Y&t=6s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2qE7hcej2A&t=1838s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N55V_oRok5Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTc7JZPG4hA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s754y1jorzI