Draft:Prachi Garella

Prachi Garella is a current physics PhD student at the University of Houston. She works in theoretical High Energy Physics.

Early Life and Education:

Prachi Garella at the University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Prachi Garella was born in 1997 in Delhi, India, to Lata Garella and Tarun Garella. She has a younger sister named Jessica Garella. Prachi completed her high school and undergraduate studies in physics in India before moving to the UK for her postgraduate studies. She completed her postgraduate education at Durham University in England under the supervision of Ruth Gregory. Currently, she is a physics PhD student at the University of Houston, where she is part of the Theoretical High Energy Physics Group, advised by Claudia Ratti.

Education and Research:

For her dissertation at Durham University, Prachi worked on cosmology and string theory, specifically studying how cosmic inflation is embedded in string theory using D-branes. This research led her to explore the string landscape and the swampland, which involves a vast range of consistent 4-dimensional effective field theories arising in string theory.

Prachi's current research focuses on using holographic models to understand Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), with a particular interest in the QCD phase diagram. One of the central objectives of her doctoral research is to develop an equation of state (EoS) for QCD matter under extreme conditions, such as those found in the early universe or in the cores of neutron stars. Traditional perturbative methods are insufficient to describe strongly coupled theories like QCD. By utilizing AdS/CFT, which establishes a duality between certain gravitational theories in Anti-de Sitter space (AdS) in d dimensions and conformal field theories (CFT) in d-1 dimensions, Prachi aims to construct a holographic model that can effectively capture the non-perturbative dynamics of QCD.

In addition to her primary research focus, Prachi has broader interests in quantum entanglement, quantum information, the Eigenstate Thermalisation Hypothesis, and quantum foundations.

Outreach:

Prachi is the president of the Women in Physics Society (WiPS) at the University of Houston. She is a passionate advocate for women’s rights in STEM and calls herself a STEMinist. She actively focuses on bringing women from different parts of the world together to initiate an open dialogue on how to make opportunities available for women in fields where they are underrepresented. She believes that women, with their unique understanding of the world and unbeatable perseverance, can give a whole new direction to the world of science and technology.

Prachi co-founded Beyond Portals, an organisation to promote and popularise research in fundamental sciences. The organization supports minorities in STEM, providing them with a platform to learn, grow, and pursue careers they are passionate about. Through her experiences, Prachi strongly feels that the global education system needs significant reform, motivating her to build a community of people sharing revolutionary ideas and a passion for transforming education, academics, research, and industry worldwide. Beyond Portals organizes public talks, workshops, and seminars both online and offline. The members actively explore areas like social media and e-schooling, constantly coming up with new ideas and approaches to efficiently propagate their mission.

Prachi is fervently dedicated to science communication and democratising access to research. As a physicist, she recognizes the paramount significance of conveying scientific concepts to the general public, fostering an intellectually vibrant society. She is steadfastly engaged in disseminating knowledge through diverse channels, striving to make it accessible to all.

Social Media

Prachi is also a content creator on social media, sharing content related to travel, literature, fitness, fashion, and physics. She co-hosts a podcast called The Knowmads Podcast with her boyfriend, discussing topics such as science, philosophy, psychology, society, and culture, featuring diverse guests.

Personal Life:

Prachi Garella has been dating her long-term boyfriend, Bhavay Tyagi, for the past six years. They share a passion for science and often collaborate on various projects, including co-hosting a podcast that discusses topics such as science, philosophy, psychology, society, and culture.