In News

Mishra is a Senior Scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), USA, Fellow of American Physical Society (2013) and conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (2019) by the President of India. He has held many senior management positions at Fermilab including Deputy Project Manager, High-Intensity Superconducting Proton Accelerator (HISPA); Deputy Director, International Linear Collider; and Head, Main Injector Department.

Mishra’s research interests are in experimental high-energy physics. He has made significant contributions in the research, design, development, and operation of the state-of-the-art technologies for particle physics experiments, proton-antiproton synchrotrons, electron-positron linac, and proton superconducting linac. Mishra has significantly cited fundamental physics and discovery papers including the discovery of the top quark, b-quark meson production, nuclear shadowing effect of J-psi and Dimuon production, the discovery of hyper-nuclei and associated eta meson production in pion-nucleon collision.

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE)

Fermilab Main Injector accelerators, designed and build by Mishra (1991-2003) will shoot an underground beam of neutrino particles 800 miles through Earth’s crust — from Fermilab in Illinois to the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota. At each site, a detector will measure the composition of the beam and analyze how the particles have shape-shifted along their flight. Since neutrinos are so weakly interacting, the detectors have to be massive and ultrasensitive. Occasionally, one of the neutrinos will interact with the argon and produce charged particles and photons, both of which are detected by various sensors in DUNE. The detector in ICEBERG is in effect a miniature version of the DUNE component that tracks these particles.

ICEBERG tests future neutrino detector systems with ‘beautiful’ results

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2019

Shekhar Mishra was conferred Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award, the highest honor conferred on overseas Indian, in acknowledgment of, “Your outstanding achievement in the field of Science and in recognition of your valuable contribution in promoting the honour and prestige of India and in fostering the interest of Overseas Indians”. Ram Nath Kovind, President of India.

Details and Media Coverage

Discovery Science: US-India Collaboration in High Energy and Accelerator

The Discovery Science Collaboration started in 2003 with an Interaction Meeting between the US and Indian scientists in New Delhi India. There were several high level and scientists visits between Fermilab and Indian DAE laboratories. In 2005, Shekhar Mishra met with President Dr. Abdul Kalam at his office in New Delhi. Subsequent to this meeting President Kalam got Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Secretary, Indian Department of Atomic Energy, and Prof. V. S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, Indian Department of Science and Technology, involved in moving this collaboration forward with two basic principles, it must be a “WIN-WIN” collaboration for both India and USA and it must train younger generation of India.

The foundation of this collaboration was strengthen during the Feb 2009 meeting of Dr. Anil Kakodkar, , Dr. Vinod Sahni, Director, Raja Rammana Center of Advanced Technology, Dr. Pier Oddone, Director, Fermilab, and Dr. Shekhar Mishra, Fermilab at Indore.

Intense effort on this collaboration at the government level was launch in May 2010 with the visit of Dr. Shrikumar Banerjee to the United States and a meeting held in Washington between the Indian Department of Atomic Energy and the US Department of Energy. Shekhar Mishra accompanied Dr. Banerjee in Washington, where Dr. Banerjee and Dr. Brinkmann, Director, Office of Science, US Department of Energy, agreed to move forward with the collaboration by creating a roadmap and working group. Shekhar Mishra was the only non-government member of the US-DOE-Indian-DAE working group. High level intergovernmental summaries and Fermilab press release for the period (2010-2016) :

2016
- Transoceanic collaboration begins bearing fruit for PIP-II
- Marvelous: just like rasogolla made with brown sugar
2015
- “High Energy Physics: The U.S. Department of Energy and India’s Department of Atomic Energy are working to develop a High Intensity Superconducting Proton Accelerator to allow collaboration in high-intensity particle physics. In January 2015, both sides agreed to a Project Annex and subsequently to a deliverables list that will foster accelerator R&D and related physics cooperation involving Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT).” U.S.-India Energy & Climate, Environment, Science & Technology, and Health Cooperation
- “Partnership in mega science projects: conclusion of Proton Accelerator Project with Fermilab” Outcomes from the visit of Indian Prime
- “The conclusion of the first of two project annexes between the Indian Department of Atomic Energy–Department of Science and Technology and the U.S. Department of Energy, which will enable discovery science cooperation in particle accelerator and high energy physics.” U.S.-India Joint Statement साँझा प्रयास – सबका विकास” – “Shared Effort; Progress for All”
- Progress on the Indian Institutions and Fermilab Collaboration
2014
- “High-Energy Physics Cooperation and Accelerator Research and Development: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) are working toward signing two project annexes under a DOE – DAE implementing agreement. The project annexes aim to facilitate and promote cooperation on accelerator R&D and related sciences to further our understanding of fundamental physics.” U.S.-India Science and Technology, Innovation, and Health Cooperation
- “The President welcomed India’s contribution and cooperation on high-energy physics and accelerator research and development with the U.S. Department of Energy.” U.S.-India Joint Statement
2013
- “Working Together on Cutting Edge Science Research and Development: Under the auspices of an agreement signed in July 2011 (Implementing Agreement on Discovery Science) between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the DOE and the DAE are exploring collaborative mechanisms to develop next-generation, high-intensity superconducting radio frequency proton accelerators and enhance cooperation in related physics research.” U.S.-India Joint Fact Sheet: A Remarkable Expansion of U.S.-India Cooperation on Science & Technology
2011
- Implementing Agreement on Discovery Science
- “Discovery Science: The United States’ Department of Energy and India’s Department of Atomic Energy signed an Implementing Agreement on Discovery Science that provides the framework for India’s participation in the next generation particle accelerator facility at Fermilab.” U.S.-India Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation
- “The United States’ Department of Energy and India’s Department of Atomic Energy signed an Implementing Agreement on Discovery Science that provide provides the framework for cooperation in accelerator and particle detector research and development at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and Brookhaven National Laboratory.” U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue Joint Statement
- U.S.-India agreement bolsters Project X proposal
- Former president of India visits Fermilab
- An Important Visit
2010
- Visit to India: Part I
- Indian counselor visits Fermilab

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE)

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2019

Discovery Science: US-India Collaboration in High Energy and Accelerator

International Linear Collider Project at Fermilab

Recycler: The Antiproton storage Ring at Fermilab

Main Injector Project at Fermilab