Hari Padma completed his doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State, advised by Prof. Venkatraman Gopalan. His dissertation work focused on investigating spin-lattice coupling pathways in layered magnetic materials, employing steady-state and ultrafast optical spectroscopy tools. As a postdoctoral scholar, he will work on establishing ultrafast control of strongly correlated materials using THz sources. Outside of his academic pursuits, Hari is a violinist trained in Indian classical music, and enjoys playing pickup basketball.