Meet CTN’s new board member, PhD candidate Ishitro Bhaduri

Ishitro Bhaduri is a PhD candidate in the Spintronics of Functional Materials group, led by Prof. dr. Tamalika Banerjee. Having completed both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Groningen, he is now focused on developing hardware probabilistic bits using complex oxides.

Probabilistic bits are the building blocks of probabilistic computers: an emerging paradigm that could tackle cognition-based tasks beyond the reach of conventional systems. Complex oxides, with their highly tunable electronic and magnetic properties, offer a promising platform for exploring these novel functionalities.

What motivated you to join the CTN board?

"I have always wanted to be involved in some sort of association to hone my organizational skills. While a PhD of course teaches you a lot about organization, I nonetheless wanted to experience it in a slightly more structured context. Being part of CTN, I'll get the chance to plan, organize and execute events not only for my own benefit but for the greater good of the CogniGron community and I think that will teach me a lot."

In your opinion, how do initiatives like CTN support young scientists?

"CogniGron is extremely diverse with members spread over the entire campus and apart from one monthly in-person meeting, we don't really get to interact with the community a whole lot. The CTN provides an important platform for CogniGron PhDs to connect with one another both socially and professionally and the feeling of community that this can foster is, I think, fairly important."

What do you look forward to as a new board member?

The CTN has been around for exactly 2 years now. While it has matured in this time into a more formal and structured organization, I think there's a lot more that can be done to make it more popular and enhance student engagement. As a board member, I look forward to helping CTN grow and improving student participation.