My daughter is aspiring to study core Physics and is planning to appear for IISc and IISER entrance for BS in Physics. If not BS, which engineering discipline will keep her in touch with core Physics and give a good launchpad to pursue research further?

Every undergraduate at IITM takes two physics courses (PH1010, PH1020) in their first year. Most engineering branches at IITM build upon the fundamentals taught in these core physics courses and involve physics in their curriculum. The core course on Engineering Electromagnetics (in EE) is essentially a follow-up of the Electrodynamics part from PH1020. Along with this, the EE department also offers elective courses in Photonics and Optics. The RF & Photonics group in EE has also been working on many active interdisciplinary research problems ranging from optics to quantum electronics, which can provide an excellent launchpad to kickstart a student’s research career. Similarly, core courses from the Mechanical department build upon Classical Mechanics from PH1010. The Mechanical department also offers elective courses in Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics. The department also has world-class research facilities for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Machine Design, and Thermal Engineering, to name a few. This is the case with most engineering branches at IITM. So, it depends on the area of research (within Core Physics) the student is most interested in pursuing. IITM, like IISERs and IISc, also has an excellent Department of Physics and the student can pursue two courses to fulfill her aspirations: B. Tech in Engineering Physics and BS+MS in Physics.