Hi, I’m Ishaan. I’m an undergraduate student at MIT studying Physics and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS). I conduct research in optical computing and silicon photonics for AI hardware in the Quantum Photonics and AI Group led by Prof. Dirk Englund at MIT RLE.

I have previously worked on nano-electronic neural interfaces in the MIT Media Lab, building on my background in computational nuclear and particle physics at CERN, Fermilab, RIKEN, and the University of Liverpool. Beyond research and engineering, I compose, mix, and master electronic music, and enjoy playing badminton on the MIT club team.

I’m on a mission (or at least a well-intentioned attempt) to do my part for the advancement of civilization – developing, implementing, and scaling up science and engineering ideas to create large-scale technological impact.

Education

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2028 (expected)
  • S.B. in Physics
  • S.B. in Electrical Engineering with Computing

Language Skills and Technical Tools

• Languages: English, Mandarin, Spanish

• Programming Languages: Python, C++, Mathematica, Shell Scripting

• Technologies and Packages: NVIDIA IsaacGym, AWS (Cloud Computing), High Performance/Cluster Computing, Docker, COMSOL Multiphysics, ANSYS Electronics, ANSYS Lumerical, SolidWorks, CERN Root, Geant4, Git, NumPy, Matplotlib

Work Experience

• Photonic Computing Researcher @ Quantum Photonics and AI Group, MIT RLE
  Mar 2025 - Present · Cambridge, MA, USA
  • Building a closed-loop, highly-parallelized holographic laser system to correct the resonant wavelengths of silicon microring resonators in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for use in optical neural networks (ONNs). Programming an adaptive spatial light modulator (SLM) control system to guide laser trimming beams based on dynamic characterization of the microring resonance profiles performed by a separate tunable laser and camera readout. Supervised by Prof. Dirk Englund and Dr. Ryan Hamerly, and mentored by Dr. Chao Luan.
• Nano-Bioelectronics Researcher @ NCB Lab, MIT Media Lab
  Sep 2024 - Jan 2025 · Cambridge, MA, USA
  • Performed computational multiphysics (COMSOL) analyses of electrode-electrolyte interactions for an injectable photovoltaic nano-electronic neural interface, focusing on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Characterization data served to optimize the choice of electrode material. Supervised by Prof. Deblina Sarkar and mentored by Mr. Preet Patel.
• Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)
  Batavia, IL, USA
  • Computational Particle Physics Researcher
    Aug 2023 - Jun 2024
    • Implemented electromagnetic quasielastic (QE) scattering models in the GENIE Event Generator based on response functions derived from quantum Monte Carlo methods which solve the many-body nuclear problem in the short-time approximation (STA). Performed comparisons between novel cross section implementation in the GENIE Event Generator and world QE inclusive scattering data. Mentored by Dr. Joshua Barrow and Dr. Steven Gardiner.
  • Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Collaborator
    Jun 2023 - Sep 2023
    • Designed and performed neutrino flux optimization simulations in Geant4 for the position of a modern modular bubble chamber (MMBC) as a member of the Ramson Group, serving the overall goal of decreasing the neutrino cross section uncertainties for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Mentored by Dr. Bryan Ramson.
• Founder and Team Lead, Winning Beamline Competition Team @ CERN
  Nov 2021 - Apr 2024 · Geneva, Switzerland
  • Founder and team lead of the Phillips Exeter Academy CERN Beamline for Schools team (2022: shortlisted among the top 24 teams globally, 2023: 1 of 3 global winning teams). Performed our experiment at CERN’s proton-synchrotron T10 test-beam and presented our findings at the 12th Beam Telescopes and Test Beams Workshop (BTTB12).
• Nuclear Physics Intern @ RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science (RNC)
  Jul 2023 - Aug 2023 · Tokyo, Japan
  • Conducted pelletron accelerator experiments to investigate proton-induced gamma ray emission cross sections for a 27-Al target. Data analysis and research findings culminated in an oral presentation given before RNC researchers.
• Honorary Research Fellow in Computational Particle Physics @ University of Liverpool
  May 2022 - Dec 2022 · Liverpool, United Kingdom
  • Developed neutrino interaction models with the GENIE Event Generator; created NuSmear, a software package for fast simulation of detector smearing which was accepted into the GENIE contribution database, accessible to physicists worldwide. Presented at the 14th Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP); sole-authored a conference paper. Supervised by Prof. Costas Andreopoulos and mentored by Dr. Marco Roda.

Additional Positions

• MIT Music Production Collaborative, Executive Leadership Team
• MIT Badminton Club, Treasury Management