I am deeply indebted to my advisors, Dr. Chandra Rai and Dr. Carl Sondergeld for giving me an opportunity to work with them, under their guidance at a world-class, remarkably unique research laboratory, IC 3 . They gave me with more freedom, time, resources and most importantly, patience, than I deserve and cared for me and supported me at difficult times. Their level of energy, work ethic and dedication towards their craft has affected me in multitudinous ways. Dr Rai was incredibly patient with me and my research, and always motivated me to stretch my limits. Dr Sondergeld inspired me to read, be prepared, and take risks. They have conveyed so much in so few words. I take this opportunity to thank Dr. Deepak Devegowda for his continued support and guidance over time. His versatility, leadership and dedication to fitness and well-being has inspired me. I want to thank Ali Tinni for being a mentor and a friend, and understanding me. His guidance and suggestions were the most formative during my time at IC 3 . He inspired me to read and showed me how to work hard and smart. Thank you, Mr. Ali. I acknowledge Son Thai Dang whose valuable inputs shaped this thesis. I resonate with his philosophies and hopefully one day I will match his infectious energy. People like Ali and Son are rare. I want to thank Mr. Gary Stowe, Mr. Bruce Spears, Mr. Jeremy Jernigen and Ms. Micaela Langevin for their support and care. Special shout-out to Mikki. Shreshth and Abhinav are my pillars of strength. Thank you Japneet for being there. Special thanks to my friends away from home: Pritesh, Saket, Saurabh, and Ashutosh. Last but not the least, Meghana. I always had the love and unwavering support of my parents, my sister, and the rest of my family. This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my father, Manas Chakravarty, who always showed me the right way. Six years back when I was a clueless, partying college kid in IIT, he suggested that I work on shales. vTABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………...…..iv TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………….v LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………….….viii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………….