My research is predominantly in the
area of electronic structure of periodic systems such as solids and
polymers. I study these systems both within an ab initio
formalism, as well
as by using suitable model Hamiltonians. In the area of ab initio
theory, a significant part of my research effort is directed towards
developing a wave-function-based real-space approach to the electronic
structure of solids. In the area of polymers, my focus is towards
obtaining a theoretical understanding of the low-lying excited states of
conjugated polymers as pertinent to their optical properties. Presently, I
am engaged in developing an approach meant for performing ground- and
excited-state calculations for general multiband systems, utilizing
semiempirical tight-binding Hamiltonians, with long-range Coulomb
interactions. A brief description
of my present research activities and future plans is presented below.