SRIVIDYA IYER-BISWAS, PHD



CURRENT STATUS


On career break since May 2024

EXPERIENCE


TENURE TRACK ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS, 2015-2024
  • Declined opportunities to go up for tenure due to non academic reasons
  • Time off of tenure track (non academic reasons): 2018-2019; 2020-2021; 2022-2024
PhD dissertations supervised:
INVITED EXTERNAL PROFESSOR, SANTA FE INSTITUTE, 2017-2023

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION


POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER, JAMES FRANCK INSTITUTE, UCHICAGO, 2011-2015
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER, DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, 2009-2011
  • Awardee: Lewis Sigler Institute internal grant
  • Awardee: AAUW Fellowship (kindly declined owing to LSI grant)
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PHYSICS), THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (2005)
GRADUATE PROGRAM IN PHYSICS, TATA INSTITUTE OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH, MUMBAI, INDIA, 2003-2004
  • “Preselected”** for PhD in Physics at TIFR [**Preselection: ~4 students invited in advance to join the incoming class of 2003 based on an examination and research performance during the Visiting Students’ Research Program (summer 2002)]
  • Recipient: Kanwal Reiki Fellowship Award
MASTER OF SCIENCE (PHYSICS), INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (DELHI), NEW DELHI, INDIA (2003)
  • Chief Editor, Physics Society Magazine, IIT-Delhi, 2002-2003
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (PHYSICS HONORS, FIRST CLASS), ST XAVIER’S COLLEGE, CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY, KOLKATA, INDIA (2001)
  • Physics Honors with Chemistry and Mathematics (First Class)
INDIAN SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAM, LA MARTINIERE FOR GIRLS, KOLKATA, INDIA (1998)
  • General Proficiency Award, 1996

OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE


MEMBER OF FACULTY, GEORGE EDCARE, KOLKATA, INDIA, SUMMER 2003
  • Verbal and Quantitative Classes for GRE, GMAT and SAT preparation
CONTENT CO-CREATOR

SELECT FACULTY HONORS AND AWARDS


  • Ruth and Joel Spira Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching, 2018
  • Invited External Professor of the Santa Fe Institute, 2017-2023
  • Outstanding Research Presentation Award, Gordon Research Conference on Stochastic Physics in Biology, Ventura, California, 2017
  • Showalter Trust Award, 2018
  • Scialog Fellow for Molecules Come to Life, 2017: Winning team member, Inter-Scialog Fellow competition (Scialog Fellows retreat, 2017)
  • Invited Visiting Faculty Member, Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Fall 2018
  • Invited Key Participant: Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics Program on Cellular Energetics, Santa Barbara, 2019
  • Featured in the Superheroes of Science series, 2019

PUBLICATIONS


A current list of publications is available at this link.

SELECTED INVITED PUBLIC LECTURE, COLLOQUIA, SEMINARS AND TALKS


COMMUNITY LECTURE
SELECTED COLLOQUIA, SEMINARS AND TALKS
  • Center for Theoretical Biological Physics Seminar: “Patterns of Organization in Stochastic Intergenerational Dynamics”, Rice University, 2026
  • “A more perfect status quo”: 4th Telluride Workshop on Emergent Simplicity in Biophysical Dynamics, 2025
  • Physics Colloquium: “Emergent Simplicities in the Living Histories of Individual Cells”, Purdue University, 2024
  • Theory Seminar (Whiteboard talk): “Emergent Simplicities in the Living Histories of Individual Cells”, Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 2023
  • “Emergent song: the polyphonies of living timekeepers”: Symposium Session on Variability in Biological and Living Systems, APS March Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, 2023
  • Biophysical Dynamics Seminar:“Non-Trivial Status Quo: Stochastic Homeostasis, Growth and Form”, UChicago, 2023
  • Biophysics Seminar: “From intra- to inter- generational scaling laws governing long-term stochastic individual cell dynamics”, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, 2022
  • 3rd Telluride Workshop on Emergent Simplicity in Biophysical Dynamics, 2022
  • [Virtual] 2nd Telluride Workshop on Emergent Simplicity in Biophysical Dynamics, 2021
  • [Virtual] PNNL Data Analytics Summit, 2021
  • [Virtual] Keynote Talk, CauloCon 3.0, 2021
  • [Virtual] World Microbe Forum, invited session on Quantitative Approaches in Microbial Evolution and Ecology, 2021
  • [Virtual] Physics Colloquium: “How Life Shapes Time”, CCNY, 2021
  • [Virtual] Center for Studies in Physics and Biology Seminar: “Non-Trivial Status Quo: Stochastic Homeostasis, Growth and Form”, Rockefeller University, 2021
  • [Virtual] SMatCH Seminar: “Non-Trivial Status Quo: Stochastic Homeostasis, Growth and Form”, Princeton CBE, 2021
  • [Virtual] “Stochastic intergenerational cell size homeostasis: Precision measurements, exact kinematics and emergent simplicities”: Symposium Session on Theory Meets High-Precision Biology: Emergent Simplicity in Stochastic Organismal Dynamics, APS March Meeting 2021
  • [Virtual] Biophysics Seminar: “How Life Shapes Time”, Augusta University, 2021
  • [Virtual] Center for Nonlinear Dynamics Seminar: “How Life Shapes Time”, UT Austin, 2021
  • [Virtual] Physics Colloquium: “How Life Shapes Time”, Harvey Mudd College, 2021
  • [Virtual] 2nd Annual Workshop on Stochastic Thermodynamics (WOST II), Santa Fe Institute, 2021
  • [Virtual] Dual Mystery Seminar: “How Life Shapes Time”, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, 2020
  • Aspen Winter Conference on Cell Growth Control, Aspen Center for Physics, 2020
  • Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics Program on Cellular Energetics, Santa Barbara, 2019
  • JSMF-SFI Workshop on Aging in Single Cells, Santa Fe Institute, 2019
  • Physics Colloquium: “From frozen to flowing time”, UC Merced, 2019
  • Aspen Workshop on Information Processing in Single Cells, Aspen Center for Physics, 2019
  • Cell and Molecular Biology Seminar: “Precision biology and the emergent simplicities in stochastic individual-cell dynamics”, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 2019
  • 1st Telluride Workshop on Emergent Simplicity in Biophysical Dynamics, 2019
  • Santa Fe Institute Colloquium: “How Life Shapes Time”, Santa Fe, 2019
  • Gordon Research Conference on Stochastic Physics in Biology at Ventura, 2019
  • Laufer Center Seminar: “Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Stony Brook University, 2018
  • Biophysics Seminar: “Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Arizona State University, 2018
  • LASSP and AEP Seminar: “Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Cornell University, 2018
  • Condensed Matter Seminar: “Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics”, UMass Amherst, 2018
  • Theory Seminar (Whiteboard talk): “Emergent simplicity in stochastic individual-cell dynamics”, Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 2018
  • Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems Seminar: “Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Northwestern University, 2018
  • Physics Colloquium: “Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Emory University, 2018
  • Center for the Physics of Living Systems Seminar: “Emergent laws governing stochastic single-cell dynamics”, MIT, 2018
  • Theory in Biology meeting of the Simons Foundation, Boston University, 2018
  • Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics Program on Memory Formation in Matter, Santa Barbara, 2018
  • Center for Theoretical Biological Physics Seminar: “Emergent simplicity in stochastic individual-cell dynamics”, Rice University, 2017
  • Physics Colloquium: “Emergent simplicity in stochastic individual-cell dynamics”, IUPUI, 2017
  • Biophysics Seminar: “Emergent simplicity in stochastic individual-cell dynamics”, Georgia Tech, 2017
  • Physics Colloquium: “Emergent simplicity in stochastic individual-cell dynamics”, Virginia Tech, 2018
  • Center for Soft Matter and Biological Physics Seminar: “Making the right ‘noise’”, Virginia Tech, 2018
  • Physics Colloquium: “Emergent simplicity in stochastic individual-cell dynamics”, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2017
  • Santa Fe Institute Complexity Seminar: “Making the right ‘noise’”, Santa Fe Institute, 2017
  • Telluride Workshop on The Complexity of Dynamics and Kinetics from Single Molecules to Cells, 2017
  • NSF-QCB Workshop on Cells as Dynamical Systems, San Francisco, 2017 “Emergent simplicity in stochastic single-cell dynamics”: Focus Session on Noise and Stochastic Fluctuations in Biological Systems, APS March Meeting 2017, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Genetics Seminar: “Bridging the scales of individual-cell and population growth”, Washington University in St. Louis, 2016
  • Santa Fe Institute Complexity Seminar: “Universality in stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Santa Fe Institute, 2016
  • Telluride Workshop on Information Engines at the Frontiers of Nanoscale Thermodynamics, 2016
  • “Bridging the scales of single-cell and population growth”, MidQBio Symposium, UIUC, 2016
  • NIMBioS Working Group: Caulobacter Cell-Cycle Model, 2016, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Physics Colloquium: “Universality in stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Purdue University, 2016
  • Center for Soft Matter Research Seminar: “Universality in stochastic single-cell dynamics”, New York University, 2015
  • Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Seminar: “Bridging the scales of single-cell and population growth”, Virginia Tech, 2015
  • Colloquium: “Universality in stochastic single-cell dynamics”, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2015
  • Biophysics Seminar: “Universality in stochastic single-cell dynamics”, Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, 2015
  • Telluride Workshop on Single Molecules: Theory Meets Experiment, 2015
  • Physics of Living Cells Seminar: “Not your average bacteria”, UIUC, 2014
  • Short Talk at Gordon Research Conference on Stochastic Physics in Biology at Ventura, 2013
  • Institute of Condensed Matter Theory Seminar: “Expecting the unexpected from stochastic gene regulatory networks”, UIUC, 2011
  • Biophysics Seminar: “Making the right ‘noise’”, Department of Physics, Princeton University, 2009
CONTRIBUTED TALKS AT APS MARCH MEETINGS

TEACHING


TEACHING HONOR
COMMUNITY TEACHING
  • Invited guest lecturer, PHYS343. Topic: A closer look at the (quantum) harmonic oscillator
  • Invited mini course lecturer, Rob Phillips’ group, Caltech; 5 lectures on Interplay of life, time and chance, 2025
  • Invited faculty, Complex Systems Summer School, Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, 2019
  • Invited lecturer, qbio summer school, Rice University, 2019
  • Invited lecturer, qbio summer school, Colorado State University, 2017
  • Invited tutorial lecture: Gene Mazenko Symposium: 2014, Chicago; topic: “Non-equilibrium fluctuations in living matter”
  • Invited lecturer, qbio summer school, St John’s College, Santa Fe, 2013
DEPARTMENTAL COURSES TAUGHT
  • Stochastic Processes in Physics (PHYS570Q) Course designed and taught in the following semesters: Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021
  • Quantum Mechanics (PHYS360, PHYS460) Course designed and taught: Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018 and Fall 2022
  • Thermal and Statistical Physics (PHYS515) Course designed and taught: Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022 and Spring 2023
  • Physics For Life Sciences II (PHYS234) Taught: Spring 2019
  • Modern Mechanics (PHYS172) Taught: Fall 2023
SELECT OTHER TEACHING CONTRIBUTIONS
  • Member of faculty, George Edcare, Kolkata, India, summer 2003: Verbal and Quantitative Classes for GRE, GMAT and SAT preparation
  • Content co-creator: plus2physics.com (internet archived version linked)

SELECT SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS


SELECT SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS TO APS
  • elected Member at Large of the Executive Committee, American Physical Society’s Division of Biological Physics (APS-DBIO) (2020)
  • Member, Fellows Selection Committee, APS-DBIO, 2020
  • Member, Nomination Committee, APS-DBIO, 2020
  • Member, Fellows Selection Committee, APS-DBIO, 2021
  • Founding Co-Chair, Community Engagement Committee, APS-DBIO, 2020: Select contribution: Series Concept: The Living Histories Series
  • Select Symposium Sessions Proposed and Chaired at APS March Meetings: [virtual] Theory Meets High-Precision Biology: Emergent Simplicity in Stochastic Organismal Dynamics, APS March Meeting 2020, Denver, Colorado; Living Histories of Ideas, APS March Meeting 2023, Las Vegas, Nevada
SELECT OTHER SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE
  • Series concept: Telluride Science Workshop series on Emergent Simplicity in Biophysical Dynamics, Telluride Science and Innovation Center, Telluride, Colorado
  • Invited Advisory Board member of the James S. McDonnell Foundation-Santa Fe Institute theme on Complex Time: Adaptation, Aging, & Arrow of Time, 2019
  • Co-organizer: Aging in Single Cells, Santa Fe Institute Workshop, 2020
  • Co-organizer: NIMBioS Working Group: Caulobacter Cell-Cycle Model, 2016
  • Volunteer, Food Pantry Service, Connection Point Church, West Lafayette, 2025—
  • Youth group leader, Next Gen ministry, Connection Point Church, West Lafayette, 2025—
SELECT FACULTY SERVICE IN THE DEPARTMENT AND UNIVERSITY
  • Appointed external member, Department Head Search Committee, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University (2017-2018)
  • Member, Graduate Admissions Committee, Purdue Physics and Astronomy (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
  • Member, Biophysics Faculty Search Committee, Purdue Physics and Astronomy (2019-2020)
  • Elected member, Department Head Search Committee, Purdue Physics and Astronomy (2021-2022)

ELECTED OFFICES HELD


  • elected Member at Large of the Executive Committee, American Physical Society’s Division of Biological Physics (APS-DBIO), 2020
  • Elected member, Department Head Search Committee, Purdue Physics and Astronomy (2021-2022)
  • Elected Graduate Representative in the Graduate Studies Committee, Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, 2006 and 2007 (Consecutive terms)
  • Elected Graduate Representative, The Colloquium Committee, Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, 2007
  • Secretary, Computer Club, La Martiniere for Girls