“Nature is mysterious, surprising, and yet comfortingly simple...”
Heising–Simons QuRIOS Postdoctoral Fellow · UC Santa Barbara
I am a theoretical physicist studying black holes, gravitational waves, and effective field theory.
My research develops analytic frameworks and computational tools that connect strong-field gravitational dynamics to observable signatures, with particular emphasis on compact-object response, dissipation, scattering, and gravitational-wave observables.
I am currently a Heising–Simons QuRIOS Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I completed my PhD in Physics at The Ohio State University in 2025 under Prof. Samir D. Mathur, where I worked on black-hole thermodynamics, extremely compact objects, microscopic black-hole structure, and the information problem.
Before that, I received an integrated B.S.–M.S. degree in Physics from IISER Bhopal. I am originally from Jaipur, India.
Heising–Simons QuRIOS Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California, Santa Barbara
I study how black holes and other compact objects respond to perturbations, how near-horizon dynamics can shape that response, and how the resulting physics can be connected to scattering and gravitational-wave observables.
I use effective field theory to characterize how compact objects encode internal or near-horizon dynamics in response data accessible to an exterior observer, including tidal response, scattering, absorption, and dissipation.
A central part of this work is a finite-radius effective description that connects local gravitational response to asymptotic observables and signal predictions.
I study perturbations of Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes, with particular emphasis on gauge-invariant observables, finite-frequency response, fluxes, horizon dynamics, and gravitational-wave signatures.
Current work develops gravitational response functions for Schwarzschild perturbations and extends the framework toward rotating spacetimes and waveform observables.
I am interested in the universal dynamics of extremal and near-extremal black holes, including near-horizon throat physics and Schwarzian-like reparametrization dynamics in rotating black-hole backgrounds.
More broadly, I study whether microscopic or higher-derivative modifications of black-hole physics can leave robust signatures in scattering, compact-object response, or gravitational-wave observations.
I am developing a unified framework that connects compact-object dynamics to observables through black-hole perturbation theory and effective field theory. Current work focuses on finite-radius and finite-frequency gravitational response, including scattering, absorption, dissipation, tidal interactions, and their imprint on gravitational-wave signals. I am presently developing this framework for Schwarzschild perturbations and extending it toward rotating black holes.
A current research direction is the universal dynamics of near-extremal rotating black holes, with particular interest in the emergence of Schwarzian-like reparametrization dynamics in the near-horizon region. I am interested in how this structure is modified by higher-derivative effective-field-theory corrections and how near-horizon dynamics can ultimately be connected to black-hole response, scattering, and gravitational-wave observables.
Selected work on black-hole response, strong-field gravity, black-hole thermodynamics, and microscopic structure.
I build tools that make scientific research and exploration more accessible.
Personalized research discovery for arXiv
Naksh Lens helps researchers find relevant new arXiv papers using a personalized Research Lens, followed authors, and research interests. It also explains why a paper may matter to the reader's current research rather than simply summarizing the abstract.
I am interested in communicating fundamental physics through public conversations, observing programs, and informal science education.
Conversations on gravity, quantum theory, and fundamental physics
I created Time Before Space as a science-communication channel for long-form conversations about gravity, quantum theory, and foundational questions in physics. Guests include Juan Maldacena, Abhay Ashtekar, Gary Horowitz, Niayesh Afshordi, Sera Markoff, and Samir Mathur.
I also work as a stargazing guide with Alta Vista Tours in the Santa Barbara area, leading small-group telescope observations and introducing guests to planets, stars, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, constellations, and the stories and physics of the night sky.