Jigyasa Nigam

Jigyasa Nigam is an MIT-IBM Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow in electrical engineering and computer science whose research is focused on machine learning for atomistic systems. Specifically, Jigyasa investigates how the mathematical structure of a machine-learning model interacts with the inherent constraints of a physical problem, such as symmetry, smoothness, and conservation laws. Her prior work has tackled core challenges in the field, including how to efficiently include higher-body-order effects and equivariance into machine-learning representations and their connection with message-passing frameworks. She also worked on applying these methods to model effective single-particle electronic Hamiltonians. As a postdoctoral fellow, Jigyasa will pursue her goal of modeling symmetry-breaking phenomena and integrating the modeling of dissipative and open quantum systems into this comprehensive framework. This work, in addition to yielding valuable insights into quantum chemistry, could enable the description of materials crucial for energy storage and pharmaceuticals. Jigyasa’s research holds great potential for advancing approaches in point-cloud modeling, offering transformative solutions across multiple spheres, from sustainable energy to health care and next-generation technologies in quantum computing.