The Department of Sciences through its programs, aims at equipping students to build core fundamentals in sciences along with necessary skills to excel in cutting-edge research which enable them to participate in research program of international standards. This is done along with inculcating values which make an individual sensitive to environmental and social issues.
The programs offered at our institution embody a strong interdisciplinary approach, providing students with ample opportunities to delve into emerging topics. This is made possible by the presence of robust engineering and management programs on our campus. We actively encourage students to engage in research activities starting from their second year, and our pedagogical methods emphasize participatory and experiential learning modules. The curriculum is designed to be flexible, allowing students to enhance their expertise in various theoretical and experimental techniques, as well as in emerging fields such as Artificial intelligence, Data Sciences, Soft Computing, etc.
This place is very conducive for an individual who would like to make learning an experience and evolve as a complete individual with no compromise on the quality of learning along with high values in life.
The Department of Sciences was started in the year 1994 as a result of merging former departments of Physics and Chemistry to nurture interdisciplinary interaction and promote research activities. Presently the Department has 33 faculty members with many of them obtaining their Ph.D. from renowned institutes in India and abroad.
The Department offers Integrated M.Sc. and M.Sc. programmes in Physics, Chemistry, and Energy Sciences, B.Sc. Degree in Food Sciences and Nutrition and a PG Diploma in Waste Management and Environmental Hygiene. The Department also offers Ph.D. programmes in almost all areas in Physics and Chemistry. In addition to this, the Department is actively involved in teaching basic Physics and Chemistry courses and several elective courses in the B. Tech. and M. Tech. programmes.
The Department has expertise in various fields such as Theoretical Nuclear and Quantum Physics, Biosensors, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Fuel cells, Electrochemistry, Organometallics, Nonlinear optics, Medicinal Organic Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, Solar cells, Thin films, Corrosion sciences, Environmental Chemistry, Atomic physics, and Laser Materials Processing.
In addition to the Academic labs for M.Sc. and B.Tech. students, the Department has several Research labs with state-of-the-art facilities, including Biosensor Research Lab, Materials Synthesis and Processing Lab, Biochemistry Materials Research Lab, Dhanvanthri Lab, Nonlinear Optics Lab, Particle Dynamics Lab and Sustainable Multifunctional Materials Laboratory.
The Department has funded projects from various agencies like DBT, DST, CSIR, DRDO, ISRO, MHRD, etc. The on-going funded project is worth over 270 lakhs. 75 research fellows are working towards their Ph.D., and they are supported with fellowships from CSIR, INSPIRE-DST, etc. The faculty also collaborates within and outside Amrita for interdisciplinary research activities.
The Department is active in conducting various activities like seminars, invited lectures, colloquiums, and quizzes to nurture the interest of the student community in basic Sciences and its relevance to technology. The Department had organized International Conferences in the field of Material Sciences, SCICON’16 in December 2016, and its second edition in December 2019.