Avijit Kundu
Simon Fraser University, University of Bayreuth, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
0000-0001-8300-5736
About
I am Avijit Kundu, an early-career researcher with a strong foundation in soft matter physics and a deep passion for experimental biophysics. My expertise lies in optical tweezers (OT) and their applications in stochastic thermodynamics, microrheology, and mechanobiology.
I earned my Ph.D. in Physics from IISER Kolkata (2022) under Prof. Ayan Banerjee and have since pursued postdoctoral research in biophysics at the University of Bayreuth and Simon Fraser University. Over the years, I have authored five first-authored publications and co-authored several more, along with a patent on an active microrheology system and four conference proceedings. My work on quantitative analysis of non-equilibrium systems using optical tweezers has gained significant recognition, contributing to our understanding of entropy production in microscale systems.
I have extensive experience in building and optimizing optical tweezer setups, having successfully established multiple OT systems across different labs (in India, Germany and Canada). My research spans developing novel microrheology techniques to probe the viscoelasticity of biomaterials and exploring non-equilibrium thermodynamics using externally driven noise systems.
Beyond research, I am passionate about mentorship and collaboration. I have trained MSc and PhD students in optical trapping and calibration, confocal microscopy and I have had the privilege of collaborating internationally, including at WWU Münster, Germany, where I worked extensively with holographic optical tweezers and nonlinear photonics.
I actively engage with the scientific community, having organized conferences, fostered academia-industry interactions, and led outreach initiatives through SPIE and other organizations. I was honored to be the sole recipient from India of the 2021 SPIE Optics and Photonics Scholarship.
Driven by curiosity and innovation, I continue to push the boundaries of experimental physics and biophysics, striving to uncover fundamental insights into the dynamics of complex biological systems.
Employment
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Simon Fraser University Postdoctoral Fellow2024 - Present
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University of Bayreuth Postdoctoral Research Fellow2022 - 2024
Education
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Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster PhD Exchange Programme2021 - 2021
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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata Doctoral2015 - 2022
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Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur M.Sc2012 - 2014
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Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamanidira Belur Math, University of Calcutta B.Sc2009 - 2012
Projects & Funding
Projects & funding information is unavailable.
Publications (15)
- Irreversibility of mesoscopic processes with hydrodynamic interactions Save
- Actin contractility and endocytosis create apico-basal tension gradient in HeLa cells Save
- A system for carrying out active microrheology to probe viscoelasticity of protein Save
- Formation of clathrin-pits and ATP-independent cholesterol-dependent tubules initiates mechano-regulation on de-adhesion Save
- Experimental verification of arcsine laws in mesoscopic nonequilibrium systems Save
- Nonmonotonic skewness of currents in nonequilibrium steady states Save
- Single-shot wideband active microrheology using multiple-sinusoid modulated optical tweezers Save
- Quantitative analysis of non-equilibrium systems from short-time experimental data Save
- Simultaneous Random Number Generation and Optical Tweezers Calibration Employing a Learning Algorithm Based on the Brownian Dynamics of a Trapped Colloidal Particle Save
- Active microrheology using pulsed optical tweezers to probe viscoelasticity of Lamin A Save