In December 2025, TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hoffmann awarded seven internationally renowned scientists and collaborators of TUM with the honorary title of “TUM Ambassador” during the Vivat TUM Advent Concert.  Two of these awardees, Prof. Shobhana Narasimhan (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India) and Prof. Vivek Vitthal Buwa (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India), have close ties to the NAT School.

Since 2013, members of the TUM community can annually nominate world-class international researchers and collaborators with close ties to the TUM. The Ambassadors are then selected by the President with input from the Executive Vice President for International Alliances and Alumni, Prof. Juliane Winkelmann, and the Head of TUM Global & Alumni Office, Philip Miessner.  

NAT Communications asked Narasimhan and Prof. Johannes Barth (collaborator and Dean of the TUM School of Natural Sciences) for their reflections on the award.

NAT: Prof. Narasimhan, could you describe your field of research in layman’s terms?

Narasimhan: I use quantum mechanics (specifically, a technique called density functional theory) to try and understand why materials possess the properties that they do. This understanding is then used to design novel materials with targeted properties. For example, one of the things we are looking at in my group right now is designing materials for semiconducting qubits, which can be used to make quantum computers. My work is computational, but I frequently collaborate with experimentalists. For example, we have been working with experimentalists in the group of Prof. Johannes Barth at TUM, carrying out joint studies of the "self-assembled" structures that can be engineered by depositing organic molecules on metal surfaces. My calculations can help interpret their experiments. They can also suggest systems or properties that may be interesting to study experimentally.

Another interest I have is promoting and supporting women in science. While I was an Anna Boyksen Fellow at the IAS at TUM, I wrote a paper studying trends in the participation and retention of women in science across the world. I found some unexpected correlations; for example, in Europe, the greater the per capita GDP of a country, the lower the participation of women in its scientific R&D force.  I also collaborated with students in the games engineering department at TUM in designing a computer game designed to prompt discussion about the challenges faced by women in science.

NAT: How did you connect with your TUM host?

Narasimhan: We have known each other for about 30 years now and were aware of each other's work even before that! We met when we were both postdocs at the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin. We have often worked on similar topics but started collaborating only a few years ago.

NAT: How has collaborating with TUM impacted your research?

Narasimhan: I have really enjoyed both the scientific and cultural aspects of my collaborations with TUM, and so have my students, three of whom have spent time in Munich so as to be able to collaborate closely with the experimentalists whose data they were attempting to interpret. The collaborations have been true partnerships, with much scientific discussion. As for the collaboration on the game, it has been unlike anything I have ever attempted before and been fun and enriching! 

NAT: Prof. Barth, why did you nominate Prof. Narasimhan as a TUM Ambassador?

Barth: Having known Shobhana for over 30 years now, following joint scientific projects we developed novel fruitful collaborations during her time here as an IAS Anna Boyksen fellow. She is an excellent scientist with strong international ties. I very much appreciate her dedication and efforts to support female scientists around the globe as well as her broad cultural horizon.

NAT: Do you and Prof. Narasimhan have future plans/collaborations?

Barth: Yes, we will continue to collaborate on various research projects, while simultaneously advancing the gaming project that’s being developed with the aim to further the position of women in science. 

We congratulate Prof. Vivek Vitthal Buwa and Prof. Shobhana Narasimhan on receiving this award.

Further information and links:

• https://www.community.tum.de/en/tum-community/ambassadors/
• https://www.community.tum.de/en/tum-ambassadors-2025/
• https://www.community.tum.de/en/ambassador-shobhana-narasimhan/
• https://www.community.tum.de/en/shobhana-narasimhan/
• https://www.community.tum.de/en/buwa-vivek-vitthal/

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