Fulbright Scholar & Fellow of The American Physical Society (APS)
Professor of Physics & Director of the Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory
Howard University
Book: Applied Spectroscopy and the Science of Nanomaterials

Dr. Misra has been a recipient of the NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program (NAFP) award (administered by the National Research Council, NRC) and was a visiting faculty fellow at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD during the 1999-2000 academic year and an NRC faculty fellow at the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC during the 2000-2001 academic year. During the Summer of 2007, he was a NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Faculty Fellow at Langley Research Center, VA, and Goddard Space Flight Center, MD (June-August 2007). He has also successfully completed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research Directors Conference (April 19-20, 2001). Dr. Misra has been a Member of Conference Program Committees and Session Chair of more than 20 invited and contributed paper sessions on spectroscopy and lasers. He has served as a guest referee for the Journal of Physical Chemistry, Journal of Propulsion & Power, Physica B, Journal of Geoscience Education, Journal of Chemical Engineering Communications, Journal of Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Journal of Lightwave Technology, Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy & Radiative Transfer, Journal of Molecular Structure and Applied Optics. Dr. Misra has reviewed research proposals for the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, Agency for International Development (AID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), College Board/Educational Testing Service (ETS), Advanced Placement (AP) Physics, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). He was a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Professor in the Department of Chemical Sciences at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India (2004-05). He served as President of the Howard University Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society (2013-14). He currently serves as the Society of Physics Students (SPS) Chapter Advisor He is currently affiliated as a Visiting Scientist & Research Affiliate in the Planetary Environments Laboratory (Code 699) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2010-present). He is also a Research Affiliate & Investigator at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism & Responses to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland, College Park, MD (2014-present).

Dr. Misra has been a Principal Investigator (1992-96) and an Associate Principal Investigator (1997-2007) for the multi-million-dollar NASA-funded Center for the Study of Terrestrial & Extraterrestrial Atmospheres (CSTEA), and a PI/Co-PI on more than 30 internally and externally funded research grants. Dr. Misra has advised and mentored more than 50 undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral research associates, and early career scientists who have been part of his research group.

Dr. Misra is (or has been) a member of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS),  American Mensa, Sigma Xi, American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). He is a Senior Member of the Optical Society of America (OSA), lifetime member of the Fulbright Association, and a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery (ASLMS), Inc..

1. Raul Garcia-Sanchez (Graduate Student: Physics) Supported on an NSF AGEP Fellowship. He worked on the “Development of the Organic Contaminants Spectral Database for the ongoing (2012-present) NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission”. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Characterization of Metal Oxide Gas Sensors Using Raman Spectroscopy and Computer Simulations” (Graduated Spring 2016). He served as a Lecturer and is currently the go to person for IT issues in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Howard University.
2. Daniel Casimir (Graduate Student: Physics) Supported on NSF AGEP & Sloan Fellowships. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Investigation of Thermal Expansion Properties of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Raman Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulation” (Graduated Spring 2015). He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Howard University.
3. Tariq Ahmido (Graduate Student: Physics) Supported on an ONR/HBEC Fellowship (2006-08) & Naval Research Laboratory (2008-11). Ph.D. Dissertation: “Remote Sensing of Explosive Surrogates Using Ultrashort Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy” (Graduated Spring 2011). He was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD.
4. Tania De (Graduate Student: Physics) Supported on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship by the Department of Physics & Astronomy/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Retrospective Radiation Dosimetry Study of Human Teeth, Bone and Fingernail Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance” (Graduated Spring 2011). She is currently an Associate Professor in Montgomery College, MD.
5. Ogungbemi Kayode (Graduate Student: Physics) Supported on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship by the Department of Physics & Astronomy/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and as a Graduate Research Assistant on a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) funded grant. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Laser Optogalvanic Spectroscopy of Discharge Plasmas and Modeling & Analysis of Rocket Plume RF-Line Emissions” (Graduated Spring 2010). He continued as a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the MDA-funded project (2010) and then as a Lecturer in the Department of Physics & Astronomy (2010-11).
6. Johnny Batts (Graduate Student: Physics) Supported full-time by the Center for the Study of Terrestrial & Extraterrestrial Atmospheres (CSTEA). Ph.D. Dissertation: “Spectroscopic Measurements of the Concentration of Atmospheric Formaldehyde (CH2O) in Beltsville, Maryland” (Graduated Summer 2006).
7. Angelina Amadou (Graduate Student: Physics) Supported on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship by the Department of Physics & Astronomy/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Microphysical & Optical Properties of Organic Aerosols & Their Relevance to Cloud Condensation Nuclei” (Graduated Spring 2006). She was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory (2006-08) & served as a Lecturer in the Department of Physics & Astronomy (2014-15).
8. Helen Major (Graduate Student: Physics). Supported on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship by the Department of Physics & Astronomy/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Investigation of the Time-Resolved Laser Optogalvanic Waveforms of Argon and Neon and their Usefulness in the Analysis of Direct Current Plasmas” (Graduated Summer 2000). She was employed as an Associate Professor of Physics at Lincoln University, PA.
9. Edward H. Dowdye, Jr. (Graduate Student: Physics). Supported on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship by the Department of Physics & Astronomy/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Ph.D. Dissertation: “FT-IR Spectroscopic Assessment of Gas-Phase Absorption of Atmospheric Molecular Species at Low Concentrations and their Associated Adsorption Effects on Various Material Surfaces” (Graduated Spring 2000). He was employed as a Civil Servant/ Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.
10. Michael King (Graduate Student: Physics). Financial support provided by Microelectronic Research Laboratory. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Laser Spectroscopy and Chemical Kinetics Investigations of the Methoxy Radical” (Graduated Fall 1996). He was employed as a Research Scientist with Microelectronics Research Laboratory, Columbia, MD.
11. Abdullahi H. Nur (Graduate Student: Physics). Supported on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship by the Department of Physics & Astronomy/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Ph.D. Dissertation: “Laser Optogalvanic Spectroscopy and Laser-Induced Chemical Kinetics Studies Pertaining to the Methoxy Radical” (Graduated Fall 1994). He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate (January-August 1995) in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Howard University. He was employed as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science at Virginia Union University, Richmond, VA.

1. Xinming Zhu (Research Associate); Supported Full Time on Funded Research Projects: “Laser Spectroscopy of Combustion Intermediates in a Supersonic Jet Expansion” (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 1990-93); “Spectroscopic Investigations of Chemical Intermediates of Environmental Significance” (Environmental Protection Agency, 1993-96) and by the NASA “Center for the Study of Terrestrial & Extraterrestrial Atmospheres”. He was employed as an Optical Engineer with Continuum in Santa Clara, CA.
2. Dr. Mark A. Dubinskiy (Postdoctoral Fellow); Supported Full Time on Funded Research Project: “Free Radical Spectroscopy & Kinetics in Microgravity Combustion” (NASA Glenn Research Center, 1994-96). After working as a Senior Visiting Scientist at the USAF Wright Laboratory in the Electro-Optics Laser Applications Branch, Dayton, OH, he is currently employed as a Group Leader/Research Scientist with Army Research Laboratory, MD.
3. Dr. Y.-B. (Bruce) She (Senior Research Associate); Supported Full Time on Funded Research Project: “Free Radical Spectroscopy & Kinetics in Microgravity Combustion” (NASA Glenn Research Center, 1996-98).
4. Dr. Chandran Haridas (Postdoctoral Fellow); Supported Full Time on Funded Research Project: “Spectroscopic Investigations of Chemical Intermediates of Environmental Significance” (Environmental Protection Agency, 1996-97) & NASA Glenn grant (1997-98). He worked as a Lecturer III in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Howard University, for the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 Academic Years. He taught high school physics in the West Virginia Public School System.

1. Abdullahi H. Nur (Graduate Student: Physics). M.S. Thesis: “LIF Spectroscopy of the Hydroxyl and Methoxy Radicals” (Graduated Fall 1991). He continued on to complete his Ph.D. dissertation.
2. Mohammed M. Kamal (Graduate Student: Physics). M.S. Thesis: “FT-IR Spectroscopy and High Resolution Laser Spectroscopy Associated with Alkoxy and Alkylthio Radicals” (Graduated Fall 1994). He was employed as a Senior Programmer with SAIC, VA.
3. Abdullahi Aw-Musse (Graduate Student: Physics). M.S. Thesis: “Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy of Trace Gases HCl and NO of Relevance to Atmospheric Phenomena” (Graduated Summer 1997). He was employed as a Patent Examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Arlington, VA.
4. Tania De (Graduate Student: Physics). M.S. Thesis: “Spectroscopy of Normal & Diseased Teeth” (Graduated Spring 2006). She continued on to complete her Ph.D. dissertation.

1. LaTonya J. Pegues (Undergraduate Physics Major). Honors Thesis: “Photoinduced Release of Organic Dyes from Liposomes” (Graduated Spring 1992).
2. Keenan Hunt-Stone (Undergraduate Physics Major) Supported on NSF HBCU-UP & DREAM 2 grants. Honors Thesis: “Constraining Lunar Surface Charging with Apollo CPLEE Observations” (Graduated Spring 2017).
3. Iman Ahmed (Undergraduate Physics Major) Supported on NSF HBCU-UP and DREAM 2 grants. Honors Thesis: “Characterization of Functionalized Graphene Nanoplatelets Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy” (Graduated Spring 2019).