Utkarsh Pratiush

Few Favorite Quotes

Welcome

You might be here for a few different reasons:

• Maybe you’re looking to hire and came across my work
• Maybe you’re just curious, exploring what I’m building
• Or maybe you want to read, learn, or start a conversation

If you’re here to hire: I’m currently a PhD student and not actively seeking roles(Expected to be on Job market from Summer of 2027). But if you’re working on something genuinely interesting, I’m always open to hearing about it. If it resonates, we can talk more.

If you’re here to explore: Feel free to browse, check out my publications, code, and ongoing work. If something catches your attention or sparks a question, I’d be happy to discuss.

About Me

I am a PhD student in Materials Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, working in the AESPM group under the guidance of Dr. Sergei Kalinin, in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

My work sits at the intersection of machine learning and scientific instrumentation, with a focus on building automated, intelligent workflows for Electron and scanning probe microscopy. The goal is simple: accelerate how we discover and understand materials by making experiments more adaptive, data-driven, and autonomous.

Before this, I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s in Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Science. My academic work ranged from first-principles studies of electronic materials (Lanthana) to building software systems for ion toxicity characterization. Along the way, I realized I’m most driven when I’m building software tools that make scientific analysis better.

I later worked as a Research Engineer at Mindtree Limited, where I developed experience in computer vision, natural language processing, and time-series forecasting skills that now feed directly into my research.

Keywords: Bayesian Optimization, Gaussian processes, Active learning, ML for science.

A Note on What I Care About

Beyond my research, I read and think a lot about larger questions: problems that could meaningfully shape the future of humanity.

Things like:

• aligning AI systems with human values
• the climate crisis
• misinformation and its downstream effects and how our systems (including social media) amplify it
• large-scale global conflict among nations and related instability
• and the growing challenge of attention and addiction in a digital world

I don’t claim to have answers. But I do care about contributing, however small the step toward building systems that are more aligned, more truthful, and more beneficial for people and the world.

If you’re working on problems in this space, or thinking deeply about them, I’d be glad to connect and talk.

links: Google_scholar || Github || Linkedin || Email