Dr. Sagar Kumar Verma joined the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IITJ) as an Assistant Professor in October 2025. Before joining IITJ, he served as a Postdoctoral Research Faculty in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University (OSU), Corvallis, USA.

Dr. Verma obtained his Ph.D. and M.Tech. degrees in Photonics from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) in January 2024 and June 2019, respectively. He began his academic journey with a B.Sc. (2013) and an M.Sc. (2015) in Physics from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, India.

In recognition of his research excellence, Dr. Verma was awarded the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship in August 2025 — one of the most prestigious and competitive international fellowships. Earlier, in July 2025, he also received the Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship offer from the University of California, Irvine, USA, for his significant contributions to the field of Nanophotonics. He is serving as a reviewer in various scientific journals, including Plasmonics, Optics Letters, Applied Optics, Journal of the Optical Society of America: A (JOSA A), Journal of the Optical Society of America: B (JOSA B), Optics Express, Optical Material Express, OSA Continuum, Nanotechnology, IEEE Sensors Journal, International Journal of Optics, Optics Communications, Optical and Quantum Electronics and Scientific Reports. He is also contributing as a Reviewing Editor in the Springer Nature Publishing group.

Dr. Verma’s research focuses on the frontier areas of Applied Meta-Optics, Advanced Nanophotonics, and Adaptive Manufacturing. His research group at IIT Jodhpur is committed not only to advancing the fundamental understanding of light–matter interaction at the nanoscale but also to translating these innovations into real-world technologies for societal benefit. His group’s research interests include:

Advanced Nanophotonics: Dr. Verma’s work in nanophotonics aims to design and fabricate plasmonic and dielectric metasurfaces that uncover the intricate physics of light manipulation at subwavelength scales. His research explores several advanced optical phenomena, including:

• Surface Lattice Resonances (SLRs)
• Gap Plasmons (GPs)
• Extraordinary Optical Transmission (EOT)
• Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT)
• Bound States in the Continuum (BIC)
• Fano Resonances
• Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption (SEIRA)
• Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)
• Surface-Enhanced Fluorescence (SEF)

His group applies these nanophotonic principles across diverse applications such as chemical and biosensing, spectral filtering, photodetection, smart thermal coatings for heat protection, tunable light emission, and infrared up-conversion for efficient energy harvesting.

Ultrafast Optics: Dr. Verma also investigates ultrafast optical phenomena to probe time-resolved dynamics in novel materials and nanostructures. By employing advanced techniques such as Time-Domain Thermoreflectance (TDTR), Transient Absorption, and Transient Fluorescence Spectroscopy, his research provides insights into thermal transport and charge-carrier dynamics in emerging 2D materials, integrated with nanophotonic architectures to exploit enhanced electromagnetic field interactions.

Adaptive Manufacturing: In the realm of adaptive manufacturing, Dr. Verma’s group focuses on optimizing Laser Sintering Techniques for the fabrication of printed electronic devices, particularly aimed at In-space applications. This work bridges photonics, materials science, and manufacturing technology to realize scalable and high-performance optoelectronic systems.

Vision: Through a multidisciplinary approach that unites fundamental optics, nanoscale engineering, and advanced fabrication, Dr. Verma’s group aspires to develop next-generation meta-optical devices and nanophotonic technologies that push the boundaries of light manipulation and enable transformative innovations in sensing, energy, and quantum photonics.

Note: Dr. Verma’s group welcomes passionate students and researchers with innovative ideas to pursue their research aspirations and contribute to advancing the future of Optics and Photonics. Interested candidates are encouraged to reach out for short-term internships, Ph.D. opportunities, or self-sponsored positions by sharing their CVs.