India Fellows Years: Indian Fellows 2024-2025

Meenu Rajagopalan Nair

Meenu is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. Her doctoral thesis focuses on understanding the vertical wind and cloud variability under diverse monsoon convective environment over India. Her research interest is atmospheric phenomena, specializing in atmospheric convection, cloud dynamics, microphysics, and radar meteorology. She has presented her work at many national and international conferences.

Prior to her doctoral studies, Meenu completed her graduate studies at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita School of Arts and Sciences. She holds a double Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics and a master’s in physics. Meenu received the INSPIRE Scholarship from the Department of Science and Technology in 2013 and secured an INSPIRE fellowship for her doctoral research in 2020.

As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow at Stony Brook University, Stonybrook, NY, Meenu is investigating the role of mixed-phase cloud microphysics during monsoon, utilizing remote sensing instruments. Her objective is to broaden research horizons and foster cross-cultural collaborations. With a focus on understanding cloud variability in diverse convective regimes, particularly in the Western Ghats, she is eager to contribute meaningfully to cloud physics. Besides academics, Meenu enjoys movies, music, and trekking.

Sushmita Gouraha

Sushmita Gouraha is pursuing her Ph.D. from the Department of Hydrology at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, under the guidance of Prof. D. S. Arya and Prof. Piyush Srivastava. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of urbanization on changing rainfall patterns over a complex/ mountainous terrain. She completed her BE from the Government Engineering College Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and M. Tech from the National Institute of Technology Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Growing up in a small town, surrounded by its vibrant tribal culture and natural beauty, Sushmita felt deeply connected to her roots and harboured a desire to serve the community by understanding and addressing environmental challenges. As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Sushmita is researching on critical concerns associated with urban dynamics, especially processes related to the impact of urban precipitation, using a numerical modelling approach. Her research will help in a better understanding of the urban processes responsible for altering precipitation patterns in complex terrains. In her free time, Sushmita enjoys exploring new places, learning about different cultures, and indulging in local games.

Gopikrishnan Gopalakrishna Pillai Sreerekha

Gopikrishnan is a Ph.D. candidate in atmospheric chemistry-climate interactions. As a child he enjoyed stargazing, which sparked his fascination with the skies. The allure of the unseen intricacies of the atmosphere led him to pursue a path in science.

Gopikrishnan, a graduate in physical oceanography, with a university level first rank from the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, investigates the relationships between climate, meteorology and ozone in the atmosphere. As a Prime Minister’s Research Fellow (PMRF) at ATMOS lab, CORAL, IIT Kharagpur, he studies complex chemistry feedback systems that regulate and are governed by ozone at both the surface and the troposphere. He employs cutting-edge techniques, such as remote sensing methods and 3D numerical models, to better understand the convoluted connections that influence atmospheric processes.

As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow at Columbia University, New York, NY, Gopikrishnan is working on chemistry transport models and investigating the chemical and dynamic aspects of atmospheric ozone. His primary goal is to identify the impact of aerosols on ozone variability using an extensive strategy supported by observations from a number of remotely sensed and ground-based data sources. His research findings are expected to elucidate the role of aerosol in ozone photochemistry using a global chemical transport model, with the goal of better parameterization of this process. He also plans on exploring the bustling streets of New York City, absorbing its warmth, vitality and vigour.

Chiranjit Das

Chiranjit Das is a Ph.D. candidate at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, under the supervision of Prof. Ravi Kumar Kunchala. He is working on improving understanding of the current state of carbon dioxide exchange among biosphere-atmosphere-ocean and its spatiotemporal evolution using a wide variety of observation and state-of-the-art modelling methodologies. He has published various research articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented his work at national and international conferences and workshops.

Chiranjit has completed his master’s from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, and was an IASc-INSA-NASI summer research fellow at the Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. He has a bachelor’s in physics from Barasat Government College, West Bengal.

As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, Chiranjit is evaluating the role of fire in perturbing atmospheric carbon dioxide budget and its adverse effect on ecosystems across global tropics. The expected results from this study will improve carbon road map policy, ecosystem management, and emission mitigation strategy for stakeholders. Chiranjit hopes to go on treks in Pasadena while he is there. He enjoys playing badminton and volleyball, and is enthusiastic about exploring new places.

Ayushman Bhattacharya

Ayushman Bhattacharya is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad. He is working on “Nutrient Removal and Recovery from Domestic and Industrial Wastewater using Bio-electrochemical Systems” under the supervision of Dr. Pritha Chatterjee. He has over four years of research experience, and has worked on different microbial fuel cell configurations, autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification, nutrient recovery, microalgae, and life cycle assessment. Ayushman received the prestigious Prime Minister Research Fellowship in 2021 and the Mitacs Globalink Research Thematic Award in 2023. He has published four research papers and two reviews in reputed international journals and has written five book chapters.

Ayushman’s understanding of environmental challenges sparked his research interest when he attended technical talks and pursued internships during his undergraduate days. He has a BTech in environmental engineering from GGSIPU, New Delhi. He has worked as a trainee engineer in the Delhi Pollution Control Committee where he was actively involved in framing environmental policies and implementing environmental laws.

As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology University, Rapid City, SD, Ayushman is understanding the optimal operational condition to enhance microalgae microbial fuel cell performance for simultaneous nutrient removal, CO2 sequestration, and bioelectricity generation. Further, he intends to produce biofuel using spent microalgae to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. He expects that the outcome of his research will promote commercial upscaling and prevent nutrient loading in water bodies to maintain ecological stability in the aquatic ecosystem.

Amarjeet

Amarjeet was born and brought up in a farmer family in western Uttar Pradesh, a state known as the sugar bowl of India. Since his childhood he has had an interest in understanding the science behind natural phenomena. He pursued his bachelor’s and master’s from Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to be University), Haridwar, under the DST-INSPIRE scholarship program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. He pursued his post-graduation in physics, where he studied atmospheric physics as one of his specializations. He is currently working at CORAL, IIT Kharagpur as a DST-INSPIRE doctoral fellow.

For his doctoral research, Amarjeet is studying the changes in monsoon dynamics in recent climate change scenarios. He looks into the dynamical and thermodynamical features of atmosphere-ocean interaction that induce and modulate the Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR).

As a Fulbright-Kalam Climate fellow at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, Amarjeet will be studying state-of-the-art climate models at a supercomputer cluster to understand the mechanism of extreme rainfall events over India and its hill regions. He is focusing on future climate projections of such events and on shaping policies to mitigate and adapt to upcoming warming conditions. . Amarjeet is fond of singing and listening to regional folk songs. He writes poems in Hindi and enjoys reading ancient Vedic literature.

Syed Umer Latief

Dr. Syed Umer Latief is an assistant professor of geography in the Higher Education Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. He obtained his MSc in geography from the University of Kashmir, Srinagar, and PhD from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His doctoral research focused on analyzing the impact of climate change on the Kolahoi glacier in the Kashmir Valley. During his PhD, he was awarded a travel grant by the International Council for Science to attend the ISMASS workshop in Portland, Oregon which was jointly organized by SCAR, Cambridge, England, and the IASC Secretariat, Potsdam, Germany. In 2015, he joined Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi as a post-doctoral research associate, where he worked on the glaciers of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Dr. Umer’s research interests include glaciology, geomorphology, remote sensing, climate change and paleo-climate. He has published many research articles and book chapters on glaciers and climate change.

During his Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Academic and Professional Excellence, Dr. Umer is investigating climatic variability and glacial dynamics in the upper Liddar Valley in the geological past, as well as in the future. He will use detailed field stratigraphy aided by OSL and CRN chronology of erosional and depositional features to ascertain the timing, magnitude and pattern of glaciations during the late Quaternary period.

Amiya Kumar Sahoo

Dr. Amiya Kumar Sahoo is a senior scientist at ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, West Bengal. He obtained his PhD in aquaculture, specialising in fish health, from the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Science University in 2011. He has been instrumental in Fish and River Health linking with National Mission Programmes including the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and the National Surveillance Programme on Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD). Dr. Sahoo is principal investigator of a multidisciplinary project on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in fisheries and aquaculture under the technical guidance of FAO, which is a first of its kind in India with a national identity of Indian Network on Fisheries and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR).

Dr. Sahoo is a member of Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of River Valley Projects of MoEFCC since 2016. He is guest editor of Environmental Science and Pollution Research and Frontiers of Marine Science, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Inland Fisheries Society of India.

During his Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Academic and Professional Excellence, Dr. Sahoo is investigating on the epidemiological tools for surveillance and effective strategies towards combating AMR in fisheries and aquaculture, an integral part of One Health.

Poulomi Ganguli

Dr. Poulomi Ganguli is an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Her research focuses on modeling and predicting natural hazards in a multivariate context, which can help credible assessment of the risk of extreme events, especially droughts, low flows and floods, and compound weather and climate extremes in hydrology. Dr. Ganguli has received several awards, such as the Alexander von Humboldt fellowship for early career scientist, the Women Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) grant by the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre, the best PhD thesis award in civil engineering for the 2012-2013 academic year at IIT Bombay, and University gold medals for undergraduate studies. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) task committee on compound flooding.

During her Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Academic and Professional Excellence, Dr. Ganguli is developing a probabilistic coastal compound flood hazard assessment model for low-latitude areas. She will identify and contrast compound hazard potentials of tropical cyclone-heatwave events across eastern and western coastal plains of India in the present day and projected climate scenarios, quantify the associated projected uncertainty, and identify vulnerable regions.

Kasturi Das

Dr. Kasturi Das is professor of economics at IMT Ghaziabad (IMTG). She has held multiple advisory positions in India and globally in the field of trade and the environment including the World Economic Forum’s expert group on Trade and Climate Change, and the Government of India’s high-level advisory committee on Trade and the Environment. As a member of Climate Strategies, London, Prof. Das co-led multiple research projects on trade-climate interface. A PhD in Economics from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, Prof. Das has published extensively in the field of trade and climate change in leading scholarly journals including Nature, the American Journal of International Law, the Annual Review of Environment and Resources, and Global Environmental Change. She has delivered numerous talks and lectures, and has consulted with multiple institutions across geographies including Oxford Martin School, Tufts University, and the United Nations. In 2019, Prof. Das was hosted by the University of Oxford as a Chevening Research, Science, and Innovation Leadership (CRISP) fellow. Earlier in 2007, she visited the University of Cambridge as a Ford fellow. In 2011, she went to the University of East Anglia as the ESRC’s Governance of Clean Development visiting fellow. At IMTG, as the founding head of the I’M The Change initiative on Sustainability and Social Responsibility (SSR) since 2016, Prof. Das conceptualized and developed an innovative, service-learning course for MBA students. In its seventh year, this course has touched the lives of thousands of peoples belonging to under-served communities. Under her leadership, the I’M The Change initiative won the ‘Innovations that Inspire Challenge 2018’ of AACSB International.

During her Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Academic and Professional Excellence at Yale University, CT, Prof. Das is exploring the role of the global trading system in supporting industrial decarbonization and just transition in hard-to-abate sectors in developing countries, with a particular focus on the steel industry in India.