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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Ashoka University
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TZID:Asia/Kolkata
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DTSTART:20250101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T132500
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T150000
DTSTAMP:20260129T050810Z
CREATED:20260128T203448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T050810Z
UID:88967-1770211500-1770217200@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:04 Feb (Wed) 1:40 PM: Second Lecture in Ashoka History Spring Seminar Series 2026
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: This talk revisits the long-accepted chronology of Nalanda Mahāvihāra\, a timeline that continues to be shaped by colonial-era assumptions. Nalanda's traditional dating—derived largely from Xuanzang and the colonial-era framework of civilizational collapse with the advent of Islam in India—was established long before the site was excavated\, and early twentieth-century archaeologists interpreted their findings through this inherited framework. Drawing on ASI reports and early excavation photographs\, the talk examines how this interpretive scaffolding constrained the reading of Nalanda's material record and contributed to distorted understandings of its later history. By reassessing the site's archaeological evidence alongside comparable regional Buddhist sites\, the talk argues that Nalanda's trajectory was far more extended and complex than assumed. The talk highlights broader methodological issues in Buddhist archaeology and calls for more nuanced approaches to the study of Buddhist archaeological sites in South Asia. \nBio: Shaashi Ahlawat is a historian of premodern South Asia working at the intersections of religion\, polity\, and regional histories. She recently completed her Ph.D. in South Asia Regional Studies at the University of Pennsylvania\, where her dissertation offered a new interpretation of Buddhism's decline in Eastern India. Her first book project\, The Weight of Ruins: Nalanda\, Odantapuri\, and the Decline of Indian Buddhism\, grows out of her doctoral work\, alongside new projects on the rise of early medieval Buddhist mahāvihāras and on Jain pilgrimage networks in Jharkhand. Her research has been supported by the ACLS/Robert H. N. Ho Foundation and the American Institute of Indian Studies. \nLooking forward to having you with us.  \nYours sincerely\, \nThe History Faculty
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/04-feb-wed-140-pm-second-lecture-in-ashoka-history-spring-seminar-series-2026/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T144500
DTSTAMP:20260127T045009Z
CREATED:20260127T045009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260127T045009Z
UID:88881-1770211800-1770216300@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Physics Colloquium
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: The discovery of the accelerated expansion of the Universe remains one of the most profound puzzles in modern science. Within the framework of Einstein’s General Relativity\, this accelerated expansion implies the existence of "Dark Energy"—a gravitationally repulsive component that makes up roughly 68% of the Universe's energy density. When combined with Dark Matter (~27%) and ordinary matter (~5%)\, the standard model of the Universe is consistent with observations. However\, the physical nature of these dark sectors remains unknown. \nIn this talk\, I will review the observational evidence for cosmic acceleration and the theoretical models of Dark Energy. I will then explore the alternative: that the acceleration is not caused by exotic dark energy\, but by a breakdown of General Relativity on cosmological scales. Focusing on the Scalar-Tensor theory of gravity\, I will discuss how a dynamical scalar field coupled to curvature can mimic the effects of both Dark Matter and Dark Energy\, providing a unified perspective on the dark sector of the Universe. \nAbout the Speaker: Dr. Sanil Unnikrishnan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at St Stephen’s College\, University of Delhi. He is also Visiting Associate at IUCAA\, Pune. Sanil was Post Doctoral Fellow at Max Planck Partner Group on Cosmology and Gravity\, IISER\, Trivandrum from 2012 to 2014 and Post Doctoral Fellow at IUCAA\, Pune from 2009 to 2012. His research interests are in Cosmological Perturbation Theory\, Inflation and Early Universe Cosmology\, Dark Energy and Dark Matter and Modified theory of gravity as an alternative to dark energy. \nWe look forward to your active participation. \n 
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/physics-colloquium/
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T144500
DTSTAMP:20260203T040154Z
CREATED:20260202T063416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T040154Z
UID:89087-1770211800-1770216300@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:CS Colloquium
DESCRIPTION:Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/93797026305?pwd=uhQSPJFd5MN2XjZMwEn4FOSJzMeTFo.1 \nAbstract: This talk presents a comprehensive journey through computation models\, focusing on continuous-time quantum walks and their application to the fundamental problem of sampling. We begin by introducing computational models and showing how quantum systems naturally evolve through continuous-time dynamics. This leads us to continuous-time quantum walks (CTQWs) as a fundamental model of quantum computation on graphs. The core of the talk addresses the important problem of sampling from complex distributions. We analyse CTQW mixing times on structured graphs—specifically\, periodic lattices and Cayley graphs and characterise when quantum walks provide speedups over classical random walks in reaching stationary distributions. Importantly\, we show how these complex graphs can be physically implemented on superconducting quantum chips via CTQWs. This analysis directly applies to accelerating Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods\, a crucial tool in machine learning\, statistics\, and optimisation.\nFinally\, we briefly explore quantum query complexity through the set membership problem\, demonstrating how quantum superposition enables efficient data querying with fundamental space-query tradeoffs. The talk bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications\, showing how quantum approaches can provide genuine advantages for the fundamental task of sampling and beyond. \nAbout the Spekaer: Shyam Dhamparkar is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Computer Science Department at Chennai Mathematical Institute. He holds a PhD in Physics from the Institute of Quantum Science and Engineering\, Southern University of Science and Technology\, Shenzhen. His research focuses on quantum algorithms\, quantum walks\, and their computational advantages over classical counterparts. His work spans quantum mixing on periodic lattices\, graph embedding on low-dimensional qubit architectures\, applications of quantum walks to sampling and thermalisation problems\, and data structure problems with quantum queries. He has published in journals and conferences\, including ICALP\, Physica A\, Communications in Theoretical Physics\, and IEEE QCNC\, bridging the fields of quantum algorithm design and computational complexity. He has delivered invited talks at institutions including UCL\, Peking University and the IIIT Hyderabad\, and has taught courses in quantum computation and quantum random walks. \nWe look forward to your active participation.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/cs-colloquium/
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T133000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20260204T150000
DTSTAMP:20260202T021600Z
CREATED:20260202T015619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260202T021600Z
UID:89069-1770211800-1770217200@www.ashoka.edu.in
SUMMARY:Psychology Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Abstract: How do people allocate cognitive control when the world makes it hard—when tasks are complex\, time is scarce\, goals compete\, and feedback is noisy? In this talk\, I integrate two strands of my research that address this question at complementary levels. First\, drawing on my cognitive neuroscience work\, I describe evidence that the frontoparietal multiple-demand (MD) system supports flexible\, goal-directed behaviour by adapting its recruitment as demands increase (e.g.\, complexity\, time pressure) and as motivational context changes\, and by jointly representing task and stimulus information. Second\, I show how process-tracing approaches—especially eye-tracking and related behavioural signatures—make control allocation visible over time\, revealing strategy shifts that are invisible in choices or accuracy alone. I then connect these mechanistic and measurement insights to my applied behavioural science programme\, including field experiments in education that reduce friction\, strengthen adoption of effective practices\, and build confidence to sustain learning-related behaviours. The talk links (i) control allocation and strategy\, (ii) interpretable measurement from behavioural traces\, and (iii) control-informed intervention design—using education as a mechanism-revealing testbed. \nAbout the Speaker: Sneha Shashidhara is a cognitive neuroscientist and behavioural scientist\, currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC) at Ashoka University. She received her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge\, where she studied the functional organisation of the frontoparietal multiple-demand network supporting executive control. Her work integrates fMRI\, eye-tracking\, computational/ML methods\, and field experiments\, with applications spanning decision-making\, education (foundational literacy and numeracy)\, and public health. \nWe look forward to your active participation.
URL:https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/psychology-seminar/
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