Research Interests

• Isotope Cosmochemistry
• Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis
• Origin and Early Evolution of the Solar System and its planetary bodies

Current Research Activities

• Short-Lived now extinct radionuclides in early Solar System
• Organics in primitive meteorites
• Secondary alteration processes in meteorites
• Heavy element Nucleosynthesis in AGB stars
• Study of grains from Itokawa Asteroid (Hayabusa I)
• Model for grain destruction in Inter-stellar Medium
• Interstellar dust grain from upper atmosphere

Laboratory Facilities

• Nano Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (nanoSIMS)
• Class 1000 clean chemistry laboratory for Extra-terrestrial materials
• Sample processing laboratory

Academic Qualifications

• 1996-2001:   Ph.D., Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
• 1993-1995:   M.Sc., Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore, M.P, India
• 1990-1993:   B.Sc., Holkar Science College, Indore, M.P, India

Professional Experience

• 2022-2023:   Fulbright Fellow,   Carnegie Institute of Sciences, Washington D.C., USA
• 2020-Present:   Professor,   Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
• 2013-2020:   Associate Professor,   Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
• 2014-2015:   Visiting Scientist,   Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science,   NASA Johnson Space Center , Houston, USA
• 2007-2013:   Reader,   Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
• 2005-2007:   Research Associate,   McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, USA
• 2002-2005:   Postdoctoral Fellow,   Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie, Mainz, Germany
• 2001-2002:   Postdoctoral Fellow,   Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India

Awards

• Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award, United States-India educational foundation, 2022-23
• SERB POWER Fellow, Department of Science & Technology, India, 2021
• Fellow, American Geophysical Union, 2019
• Devendra Lal Memorial Medal: American Geophysical Union, 2019
• Eminent Mass Spectrometrist: Indian Society of Mass Spectrometry , 2019
• Kavli fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 2015
• Women Excellence Award: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) Department of Science & Technology, India, 2013
• Member of STARDUST preliminary examination (cometary sample return mission) team, 2006
• INSA Young Scientist Award: presented by Indian National Science Academy, India, 2004

Professional Services

• Nominating Committee, Meteoritical society 2023-2024
• Council member, Meteoritical society 2018-2022
• NASA Review Panelist
• Scientific advisor board, Astronomy with Radioactive Isotopes, Budapest, Hungary 2020
• Scientific advisor board, Meteoritical society meeting, Japan 2019
• Co-convener: Workshop on the theme: Role of sample return in addressing major outstanding questions in Planetary Sciences, Bern, Switzerland, 2018.
• Co-convener: Goldschmidt conference, for session titled: Presolar Grains and Isotopic Heterogeneity in Planetary Materials, Paris, France, 2017
• Convened a meeting on: Search for micro-organisms in space, September 2016, sponsored by ISRO at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 2016

Research Grants

• Co-PI, "The origin and evolution of large carbonaceous molecules in our solar system" (2022-2023)
  Hayabusa 2 sample return mission. JAXA curation center
• PI, "Organics in meteorites: Understanding the parent body processes in the early solar system" (2023-2026)
  Department of Science & Technology, India [CRG/2022/009047]
• PI, "Nascent Sun: Solar flares and million year old protoplanetary disk" (2021-2024)
  SERB-POWER Fellowship, Science and Engineering Research Board-Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research
  Department of Science & Technology, India [SPF/2021/000116]
• PI, "High precision Chronology of refractory Inclusions from primitive chondrites" (2021-2024)
  CEFIPRA, Indo French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research [6407-A]
• Co-PI, "Chronology, evolution of CAIs in Ordinary chondrites" (2021-2022)
  Europlanet 2024 RI -Research Infrastructure [20-EPN2-036]
• PI, "Stellar nucleosynthesis of transition elements" (2013-2016)
  SERB, Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science & Technology, India [SB/WEA-007/2013]

Group Members

• Vikram Goyal, Sr. Scientific Assistant
• Shreeya Natrajan, Scientist/Engineer'SC
• Dr. Manish Sanghani(2021-22), Post Doctoral Fellow
• Dr. Rahul Das Gupta(2021-22), Research Associate
• Advait Unnithan, Junior Research Fellow
• Ankit Prakash Singh, Junior Research Fellow
• Neha, Junior Research Fellow

Teaching Experiences

• Cosmochemistry: Basics and advance courses
• Instrumentation and Vacuum technology
• Nucleosynthesis:Evolution of elements
• Nuclear Physics

Recent Publications

• ²⁶Al-²⁶Mg isotopic studies in some calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions and chondrules from unequilibrated chondrites.
  RK Mishra, K. K. Marhas M Trieloff
  Current Science 125 (2), 191-203 DOI : 10.18520/cs/v125/i2/191-203
• Microstructural and Chemical Investigations of Presolar Silicates from Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars and Type-II Supernova Explosions.
  M. N. Sanghani^#, L. Lajaunie, K. K. Marhas W. D.A. Rickard, S. S.-Y. Hsiao, Z. Peeters, H. Shang, D.-C. Lee J. J. Calvino and M. Bizzarro
  The Astrophysical Journal, 925: 110 DOI : https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac3332
• Presolar silicate and oxide grains found in lithic clasts from Isheyevo and fine grained matrices of NWA 801
  M. N. Sanghani^#, K. K. Marhas S. S.-Y. Hsiao, Z. Peeters, H. Shang, D.-C. Lee, and M. Bizzarro
  The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 253:41, 2021 DOI : https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/abdbab
• Sputtering of presolar grains via Galactic Cosmic Rays in the Interstellar medium
  A. Garg*, K. K. Marhas and V. Goyal
  The Astrophysical Journal, 905:80, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/abc25b
• Meteoritic evidences of a late superflare as a source of ⁷Be in the early Solar System
  R. K. Mishra and K. K. Marhas
  Nature Astronomy,3:498, 2019, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0716-0
• Transition elements in Supernova presolar grains: Condensation vs. Implantation
  K. K. Marhas and P. Sharda*
  The Astrophysical Journal, 853:12, 2018, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aa9e8e
• Correlated silicon and titanium isotopic compositions of presolar SiC grains from the Murchison CM2
  F. Gyngard S. Amari, Zinner E. and K. K. Marhas
  Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 221:145, 2018, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.09.031

• Role of Sample Return in Addressing Major Questions in Planetary Sciences.
  Editors: M. Anand, S. Russell, Y. Lin, M. Wadhwa, K. K. Marhas , S. Tachibana
  Space Sci Rev (2020) 216:101 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00724-4