https://www.drsrao.com/research/ Recent content in Research on Sathyanarayan Rao Hugo en-us Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/scientific-ai-evaluation/ Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/scientific-ai-evaluation/ Designing scientific benchmarks and test environments that separate genuine derivation from pattern matching, and probing where frontier models fail on physical and mathematical reasoning. https://www.drsrao.com/research/digital-twin-model-coupling/ Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/digital-twin-model-coupling/ Coupled 1D crop models (C/C++) with 3D functional-structural plant models (Fortran/CPlantBox) for the PhenoRob project, enabling realistic soil-plant-atmosphere simulation. https://www.drsrao.com/research/doctoral-thesis-root-imaging/ Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/doctoral-thesis-root-imaging/ Four-year investigation into non-invasive geo-electrical imaging of plant roots, producing the first coupled hydro-geophysical framework linking root architecture, water uptake, and electrical signatures. 4 papers, 135+ citations. https://www.drsrao.com/research/plasma-physics-simulations/ Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/plasma-physics-simulations/ Extended a 2D electrostatic particle-in-cell code into a full 3D electromagnetic plasma simulation framework. 3 papers in Physics of Plasmas, 69 citations. https://www.drsrao.com/research/sar-soil-moisture-machine-learning/ Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/sar-soil-moisture-machine-learning/ An information-theoretic account of when soil-texture-specific calibration of SAR soil moisture retrieval helps and when it cannot, tested on 677 paired observations across five soil textures. Published in Remote Sensing Letters. https://www.drsrao.com/research/soil-root-electrical-conduction-model/ Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/soil-root-electrical-conduction-model/ First mechanistic model to couple root water uptake (R-SWMS) with 3D electrical simulations (PyGIMLi), quantifying how roots distort standard petrophysical relations. Published in Vadose Zone Journal, 2019. https://www.drsrao.com/research/maxwell-bloch-exciton-polariton/ Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/maxwell-bloch-exciton-polariton/ FORTRAN solver for exciton-polariton propagation in semiconductors using coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations, with 4th-order Runge-Kutta temporal integration. https://www.drsrao.com/research/active-passive-microwave-fusion/ Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/active-passive-microwave-fusion/ Fused Sentinel-1 SAR with SMAP-400m passive microwave to bridge the systematic monsoon data gap in passive retrievals, producing a 129-month continuous soil moisture record (2016–2026) for a 5400-ha watershed in Karnataka. Under review. https://www.drsrao.com/research/agricultural-modelling-containers/ Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/agricultural-modelling-containers/ Containerized CPlantBox and DuMuX-ROSI environments for plant modeling research, including VNC-enabled 3D visualization. Available on DockerHub. https://www.drsrao.com/research/electrical-anisotropy-root-architecture/ Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/electrical-anisotropy-root-architecture/ Demonstrated that electrical anisotropy encodes root architecture — species discrimination at 95% accuracy using k-NN on electrical signatures alone. First mechanistic proof of 3D structural information in geoelectrical data. https://www.drsrao.com/research/laser-matter-interaction-research/ Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/laser-matter-interaction-research/ Experimental study of laser-induced photodegradation of Rhodamine 6G — cleanroom operations, AFM, and high-value laser systems. GPA 4.0/4.0. https://www.drsrao.com/research/watershed-intervention-diagnostics/ Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/watershed-intervention-diagnostics/ Sentinel-1-based diagnostic evaluating whether watershed interventions produce a measurable dry-season surface moisture advantage over untreated neighbouring land, applied across multiple watersheds in North Karnataka over two successive dry seasons. https://www.drsrao.com/research/phenorob-daa-website/ Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/phenorob-daa-website/ Hugo-based documentation platform for PhenoRob agricultural modeling tools, with interactive guides, scientific visualizations, and custom SCSS/JavaScript. https://www.drsrao.com/research/field-ert-phenotyping-water-deficit/ Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/field-ert-phenotyping-water-deficit/ Multi-season ERT field campaign across 6 grassland species under controlled water deficit. Successfully discriminated species by their electrical-hydraulic fingerprints. Published in Plant and Soil, 2020. https://www.drsrao.com/research/soil-hydrothermal-record/ Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/soil-hydrothermal-record/ A decade-long, 15-minute resolution record of soil moisture, temperature, and electrical conductivity from the Berambadi agricultural catchment, Karnataka — covering 944 rainfall events across wet, drought, and recovery years. Under review. https://www.drsrao.com/research/electrical-properties-of-roots-review/ Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/electrical-properties-of-roots-review/ Comprehensive synthesis of geoelectrical methods for soil-root studies, with original lab measurements of root electrical properties. 71 citations in Vadose Zone Journal — the most-cited paper of the PhD. https://www.drsrao.com/research/ndvi-groundwater-indicator/ Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/ndvi-groundwater-indicator/ Independent analysis testing whether block-scale Sentinel-2 peak-NDVI trends track CGWB groundwater extraction gradients across six over-exploited blocks in Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu. Found a borderline-significant positive association (r=0.814, p=0.049). https://www.drsrao.com/research/root-ert-modelling-pipeline/ Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.drsrao.com/research/root-ert-modelling-pipeline/ Modular, reproducible framework for root-soil electrical modeling: from root architecture generation (C-Rootbox) through water uptake (R-SWMS) to 3D FEM electrical simulation (PyGIMLi/Gmsh).