Niraj Kushwaha joined the Complexity Science Hub as a PhD candidate in August 2021 and, as of August 2025, continued his affiliation with the Hub as a Visiting Student. During his time as a PhD researcher, he brought a strong background in physics, holding a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore. His master’s thesis was in the field of non-linear dynamics and complex networks.

For his master’s thesis, Niraj performed network modeling using Kuramoto’s oscillators to study collective behavior found in many real-world systems. He also investigated critical transitions between synchronization and chimera (solitary) states in dynamical networked systems. To study the phase space of such systems, he employed a unique technique that used machine learning to draw boundaries between different phases.

Niraj’s research interests lay at the intersection of statistical physics, collective behavior, network science, computational modeling, data analysis, and machine learning. Through his research, he aimed to uncover hidden universal laws of nature using a variety of tools and techniques within the field of complexity science.

At CSH, Niraj worked on building a systematic framework to study armed conflicts and examined various emergent regularities found in such conflicts.