Assistant Professor
Qualification : PhD (IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai)
M.Tech (IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Dhanbad)
M.Sc. (University of Allahabad, Allahabad)
Specialization : Mineralogy, Sediment Provenance Study, Zircon U-Pb Geochronology, Fission Track Dating, Drainage and Landscape Evolution
EXPERIENCE : Assistant Professor at the Department of Geology, Central University of South Bihar (August 2022- Present).
Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Bombay (October 2021- August 2022).
My research aims to use minerals as tools in the field of mineralogy, sedimentology and geochronology/thermochronology to solve and understand various geological problems. The thrust research areas in which I am working are source-to-sink linkage, sediment provenance study, paleo-drainage reconstruction and landscape evolution. I studied the provenance of Assam-Arakan Basin fluvial sedimentary units by integrating petrography, heavy mineral analysis, EPMA analysis for dense mineral chemistry and detrital zircon U-Pb dating. This sediment-source investigation showed the importance of provenance study in reconstructing the paleo-drainage evolution of the Brahmaputra River in the northeast Himalayas. Moreover, I also worked on low-temperature thermochronological studies (Apatite Fission Track dating) to determine the exhumation history of the Shillong Plateau.
  1. Rai, P., Borgohain, B., Mathew, G., Dev, J.A. and Tomson, J.K., 2021. Tale of Eastern Himalayan River captures and upper Assam uplift: The paleo Brahmaputra conundrum and migration. Basin Research (under revision).
  2. Tiwari, S.K., Beniest, A., Rai, P., Chatterjee, S., Daphale, R.V., Biswal, T.K., Yadav, A.K. and Kundu, S., 2022. Implication of dynamic recrystallization mechanism for the exhumation of lower crustal rocks: a case study in the shear zones of the Ambaji Granulite, NW India. Lithosphere, 2022, pp.1-17. https://doi.org/10.2113/2022/6593243
  3. Rai, P. and Mathew, G., 2021. Presence of detrital olivine and serpentine minerals in the Dihing unit of upper Assam: Implication towards the source, Journal of Earth System Science, 130, pp.1-15. DOI: 10.1007/s12040-021-01581-7
  4. Rai, P., Borgohain, B., Chettri, N. and Mathew, G., 2020. A comparative heavy mineral study of the Cenozoic sediments of Assam and Siwalik foreland basins, northeast Himalaya. Journal of Geological Society of India, 96(5), pp.475-484. DOI: 10.1007/s12594-020-1585-y
  5. Sinha, H.N., Preety, K., Rai, P., Mohanty, D. and Sarangi, S., 2017. The petroleum potential of the Arangi and Kajrahat Limestone formations from the Semri Group, Chopan, Uttar Pradesh, India. GeoResJ, 13, pp.59-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.grj.2017.02.002
National/International Conferences
  1. Presented poster on "Major Exhumation Pulse of the Shillong Plateau Occurred During 32-18 Ma in the Himalayan Foreland" at AGU Fall Meeting 2022, 12th-16th December, 2022.
  2. Presented poster on Multiproxy records on the fluvial successions of Assam-Arakan Basin: Implication for paleo-drainage evolution at EGU2020-2358 EGU General Assembly 2020, 4-8th May 2020.
  3. Presented poster on the enigma of Brahmaputra River paleo-course: Analysis based on field evidence and heavy mineral assemblages from Cenozoic deposits of Assam and Siwalik Basins, NE Himalaya at 3rd National Geo-Research Scholar Meet, WIHG, Dehradun, 6 -8th June 2019.
Awards
  1. Awarded Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowship, IIT Bombay (2021).
  2. Awarded Teaching Assistant Fellowship for Ph.D. at IIT Bombay (2015).
  3. All-India Rank 24th (Lectureship) in National Eligibility Test (CSIR-NET) (2013).
  4. Ranked 1st in M. Sc. Applied Geology, University of Allahabad (2013).
Assigned Courses for Teaching

Mineralogy and Crystallography, Metamorphic Petrology (Practical), Geophysics and Mineral Exploration, Petroleum Exploration, Ore and Mining Geology, Research Methodology

Administrative / Academic Responsibility
  1. Member Secretary of the Departmental Committees (DC), Department of Geology, CUSB
  2. Member of Faculty Council, Department of Geology, CUSB
  3. Member Secretary of the Department Placement Committee, Department of Geology, CUSB
  4. Member of the Outreach Programme Committee, Department of Geology, CUSB
Professional Membership in Scientific Society

Member of European Geosciences Union (EGU) (Membership No. 541640)

Responsibilities/Assignments Held
  1. Delivered lecture on “Fission Track Thermochronology” during Protolith’s workshop at the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Bombay attended by the nationwide students (28-30 Dec, 2020).
  2. Delivered lecture on “Heavy minerals separation process and their use in provenance study” to the students of Protolith’s workshop on Thermochronology at the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Bombay (2017).
  3. As a Teaching Assistant conducted practical classes for M.Sc. (Geology) and B.Tech (Civil Engineering) students in two different courses at the Earth Sciences and Civil Engineering Departments of IIT Bombay.
  4. Volunteer during INDOROCK 2016 (6th Indian Rock Conference) Jointly organized by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and the Indian Society of Rock Mechanic held on 17-18th June, 2016 at IIT Bombay, Mumbai.