Post doctoral researchers

Pujarini Samal

My PhD research was on palaeo-environmental reconstruction through fossil pollen, grain-size and geochemical records of sediments from the Mahanadi River delta along the east coast of India under the supervision of Dr. Jyoti Srivastava. I have experience in palynological, sedimentological and geochemical analysis. I am familiar with operating Particle Size analyzer, ICP-OES and ICP-MS for major and trace element analysis and can produce and compile high quality climate proxy datasets. As an application of the palaeoclimatic datasets, I have modelled the current geographical occurrences of selected mangrove species to predict the present, past and future habitat distributions of mangroves to identify priority conservation areas along coastal India. I have also published my PhD thesis results in reputed SCI journals such as Palynology, Holocene and Ecological informatics.

PhD Scholars(BSIP)

Pooja Nitin Saraf

I am a DST-INSPIRE SRF and my research work deals with reconstruction of past climate and vegetation biomes from fossil pollen data and species distribution modeling of key plant species along Central Ganga plain region. Species distribution modelling is an effective tool to predict potential distribution and suitable habitat of target species, which can be used to design proper conservation plans. The estimation of changes in the distribution of species under future climate conditions is a crucial first step towards the mitigation and management of future species losses or habitat shifts.

Jereem Thampan

I am a CSIR-JRF studying the potential response of natural vegetation to past and future climate change scenarios in Rajasthan, Western India and focus on how anthropogenic activities negatively affect the ecosystems and species diversity. I investigate how vegetation responds to disturbances caused by natural phenomena like climate change using Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) and paleoclimate proxies like pollen grains. Understanding the dynamics of vegetation distribution concerning paleoclimate change is essential for good forecasting of vegetation response to future climate change. My study will allow us to design sustainable development by conserving nature without impacting the rural economy.

Sourav Hazra

I am a JRF in a SERB-SUPRA project entitled “Quantification of pollen-based reconstructions of Holocene land cover of Southwest India for Earth system modelling”. I had previously worked on ancient charcoals during my M.Sc. dissertation where I used pollen as one of the proxies for studying the climate of the past. I am familiar with most of the Light and Electron Microscopy and Bioinformatics tools. Currently, my research work deals with the reconstruction of past landcover using proxy records from Southwest India. I am using ancient as well as present pollen data to develop pollen-vegetation-climate relationship. This is essential for enhancing the efficiency and robustness of paleoclimate simulations as well as for testing the anticipated future climate change scenarios.

PhD Scholars(Affiliates)

Shivangi Singh

I am a native of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai. My research is focused on surface elevation dynamics within mangrove forests. Currently, I am working on my thesis titled, "Assessment of response of Pichavaram mangroves to predicted sea level rise: A multidisciplinary approach using RSET-MH and palynological analysis", to assess the adaptive capabilities of Pichavaram mangroves. My broad interests include coastal and marine ecosystems, mangrove forests, and oil spill modeling.

Yamuna Sali AS

I am a CSIR-SRF working in the Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal. My PhD research work covers the Holocene records of paleoenvironmental variability archived in the lake sediments of southern India. To study different aspects of climate change and its influence on past vegetation, weathering, and monsoon. I am looking for multiple proxy datasets like environmental magnetic proxies, sedimentological proxies, geochemical proxies, lipid biomarkers and pollen grains. Another focus of research is understanding the spatial inhomogeneity in the monsoonal climate of the Indian subcontinent during extreme cold and dry conditions. My study also deals with validating the suitability of different proxies for paleoclimatic reconstruction by calibrating the proxy data with the available instrumental rainfall data.

Pranav Prakash

I am pursuing PhD from the Department of Geology, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. My area of interest includes Quaternary geology, Paleoclimate, Hydrology, GIS, and remote sensing. Currently, I am focusing on my PhD work entitled “Coastal Geomorphology and Paleoclimatic Studies of the Quaternary Sediments of Northern Kerala, India”. My study aims to understand the landforms-based geomorphic /morphometric indices as well as the geochronology, palynology, microfossils, and geochemistry of the Quaternary sediments of northern Kerala. Understanding the evolution of the coastal geomorphic units and decoding the climatic changes of the Quaternary period are the major expected outcomes. The results can effectively be used for short-term and long-term predictions of future climatic changes.

Srihari Seralathan

I am a Quaternary researcher from the Department of Geology, Anna University Chennai. My research focuses on inferring the Paleo climatic fluctuations as well as Paleo environment during the late Quaternary time period from the evaporitic deposits of Quaternary age both from inland and coastal deltaic region by employing multiproxy studies namely pollen,geochemical analysis using X-Ray Diffraction(XRD), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Stable isotopes namely Strontium (Sr), Calcium (Ca), Sulphur (S), Oxygen (O). I am also interested in expanding my research into evaporitic formations of Miocene age and also to study the role of microbes in altering the evaporite deposits and also the environmental conditions that favoured the existence/sustenance of these microbes in future.

Masters Students trained

Manu Martin Paul

As a recent graduate with a Master's degree in Geology, I have conducted research on grain size analysis and geochemistry analysis for lake sediments for paleoclimate studies. Currently, I am focusing on pollen analysis as a proxy for reconstructing past climates in Southwest India, with a particular emphasis on the Western Ghats region.

Priyanka Seth

I studied the relationship between surface palynomorph assemblages and ecological features in a mangrove wetland along the Southeast coast of India to describe the modern sedimentary environments and identify the controlling environmental factors in a estuarine ecosystem.

Aradhana Verma

I reconstructed the past vegetation changes associated with climate change and human impact during the Late Holocene identified the depositional environment representing hydrodynamic and ecological patterns that could be applicable to paleoenvironmental analysis in the Southeast coast of India.

Sunanda Joshi

I studied the palynological assemblage in the Gautami-Godavari River delta sediments to record the environment and sea level changes during late Holocene along the southeast coast of India.