Dr P M Ushasree joined the School of Computing, Engineering, and Digital Technologies at Teesside University in April 2024. Her areas of research interest are photovoltaics, renewable energy systems, photonics, crystal growth and high-energy radiation detectors. Prior to this role, she taught a diverse array of modules across various programmes and pathways at Teesside University ISC. In addition to her responsibilities as module leader, she served as the Teaching and Learning Champion, enhancing the quality of teaching, mentoring fellow teaching staff, sharing best practices, and contributing towards the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee. Her passion for teaching aims to develop students’ abilities to learn, reason and explore, enabling them to apply their skills to real-world applications and industry challenges. While teaching at INTO Newcastle University, she received the “Gold Shine Awards” from INTO global, for her contribution towards online teaching. Her commitment to diversity and student-centred learning led to nominations by the Newcastle University Students’ Union’s for The Education Awards (TEA), 2020 under the categories: “Outstanding contribution to Academic Support” and “Outstanding contribution to Teaching”.

Dr Ushasree’s academic journey includes postdoctoral positions at various Universities in the Northeast and Japan.  She secured grants from various world leading funding research bodies in UK, Japan, Korea and India, such as Japanese Society of Promotion of Science (JSPS), Daphne Jackson Trust, Korean Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF), Korea, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Department of Science and Technology (DST). Her research into sustainable energy earned her an invitation from the Royal Society of Chemistry to contribute to the book “Solar Energy Capture Materials”. The book is aimed at advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers.

Grants, Awards and Honors

Teaching 

2022        Teaching and Learning, T&L Champion, Teesside University ISC.

2022        Virtual Learning Environment, VLE Champion, Teesside University  ISC.

2021        Advance HE Certificate on Professional Development Course for External Examiners, Advance HE.   

2021        Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

2020        “Gold Shine Awards” by INTO global, in recognition of Outstanding Achievement in COVID-19 response, for exclusive contribution towards Online Teaching.

2020        Nominated for Newcastle University Students’ Union’s, The Education Awards (TEA) 2020 for “Outstanding contribution to Academic Support” and “Outstanding contribution to Teaching”.

2016        Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Research

2017         Invited by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to contribute a chapter to the book on “Solar Energy Capture Materials”.

2017         Member of UK Solar Fuels Research Network.

2014         Daphne Jackson (DJ) Fellowship Award, DJ Trust, UK.

2014         Certificate of Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing, Journal- Materials Research Bulletin (MRB), Elsevier.

2006        Recognised Manuscript Reviewer for Elsevier Journals; (a) Solar energy and (b) Materials Research Bulletin.

2003        Member of Japan society of Promotion of Science, JSPS, UK alumni association.

2003        Member of alumni Crystal Growth Centre, Anna University, India

2002        Nominated for Indian National Science Academy, INSA Medal for Young Scientist.                    

2001        Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) 2 years Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, Japan.

2001        Invited student for educational tour to Daeduk Science Town in the city of Taejon (Daejon), JSPS and Korean Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF), Korea.

2001        Invited student and young scientist, International Conference on Photo-Responsive Organics and Polymers (ICPOP’01), KOSEF, Korea.

2001        Foreign travel grant- Department of Scientific and Technology (DST), India, ICPOP’01 Korea.

2000        Foreign travel grant- CSIR, India, 1^st Asian meeting on Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology, Sendai, Japan.

1999        Nominated for Young Scientist Award, International Conference on Laser Materials and Devices, ICLMD-99, Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC), Defence Science, Metcalfe House, Delhi, India.

1998        Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Senior Research Fellowship Award, CSIR, Government of India.

1998        Best Paper Award, Materials and Characterisation, Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, India.

Photovoltaics (Perovskite, Organic, Indium Arsenide Quantum dots, Gallium Arsenide and Silicon Solar cells) | Semiconductor devices | High energy radiation detectors (Cadmium Telluride) | Renewable energy systems | Non-linear optics (Inorganic, Organic and Semi-organic materials) | Crystal Growth | Photolithography | Characterisation techniques.

Fabrication skills: Development of solar cells; semiconductor-based, graphene based and organic solar cells |Patterning using Photolithography in clean room environment | Fabrication of semiconductor high energy radiation detector with Schottky or Ohmic junction | Deposition of metal and their oxides/ sulphides using e- beam evaporator, vacuum thermal evaporator and sputtering | Thin film fabrication by rectangular heater heated pedestal growth method, sheer growth method and by spin coating technique | Bulk single crystal growth- slow cooling and slow evaporation solution growth method, Verneuil method, Bridgman- Stockbarger method | Polymer thin film fabrication | Device fabrication of nonlinear optical single crystals for Second harmonic generation (SHG).

Charcterisation skills: X-ray diffraction, Infra-red spectroscopy | Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy | Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)|Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) | Optical field microscopy | Thermo- gravimetric measurements- TGA and DSC, FTIR and UV/Vis spectrometer | Inductively coupled plasma analysis | Current-Voltage and Capacitance- Voltage measurements | External Quantum Efficiency measurements | SHG using Nd:YAG lasers | Maker-fringes measurements | Electro- optic measurements using diode laser | Dielectric measurements | Surface profilometry | Crystal cutting | lapping and polishing | Crystal microhardness measurements and surface morphology studies.

Projects title- "Energy regeneration potential for in-wheel motor driven electric vehicles with residual energy"- Co-Supervisor.

Project title- "Thin-film technology as a source of energy utilised by Intelligent Building Management Systems (IBMS) in existing housing stock"- Co-Supervisor.

Welcomes self-funded PhD applications from prospective students.

Teaching interests

Industrial Electronics |  Electrical Principles| Electronic Principles | Engineering Mathematics | Computational and Engineering Mathematics | Materials and Sustainability | Digital Electronics | Material Science | Semiconductor Devices | Mechatronics | Analogue Electronics | Applied Mathematics | Statistics | Physics | Research Project and Data Analysis | Engineering Practice | Digital Futures | Mathematics for Computing | Mathematics and Statistics for Business | Mathematics and Statistics for Biomedicine and Psychology | Academic Practice | Advance Practice.

She has contributed to the wide scientific community through 20 publications in peer reviewed international journals, including an opening chapter for the book on Solar Energy.

Google Scholar: h-index 13, 1198 citations.

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