In addition to being an accomplished musician, Sowmya also has excellent academic credentials. She earned a Ph. D. degree in 2012 from the University of Madras  under the guidance of Dr. Premeela Gurumurthy. Her doctoral dissertation is a unique confluence of science and music, resulting in a practical innovation to improve pitch stability of percussion instruments. Sowmya also holds Master’s degrees in Chemistry and Indian Music. She was a top-ranked scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and the University of Madras.

Academics

• Ph. D. (Univ. of Madras, 2012) for dissertation “A study of the effect of temperature variations on the pitch of a double-headed drum (mridanga)”
• II Rank Holder and Gold Medallist in B.Sc. (Chemistry), Meenakshi College, Madras University, 1990
• M. Sc. (Chemistry), Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, 1992
• I.I.T. Blue, for excellence in Academics and cultural activities, 1992
• I Rank Holder, B. A. (Indian Music), University of Madras, 1996
• I Rank Holder and Gold Medallist in M. A. (Indian Music), University of Madras, 1998
• Paper on “Microwave Enhanced Reactions in Carbohydrate Chemistry” in Synthetic Communications
• Royal Institute of Chemistry award for Chemistry quiz conducted at the school and college levels