People Page

Chaithanya M. S. is a Junior Executive Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), with over seven years of experience in academic and institutional administration at the Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru.

Her experience includes academic administration, Ph.D. admissions and coursework coordination, executive and secretarial support, conference and seminar coordination, travel and accommodation arrangements, procurement, institutional documentation, and coordination with faculty, students, research scholars and external collaborators. Prior to her administrative career, she worked as a Mathematics Lecturer at Vikas P.U. College, Mangalore.

She holds an M.Sc. in Mathematics and is proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, data management and institutional documentation.

Dr. Ekta Singh is an archaeologist by training, with a keen interest in interdisciplinary research that brings together field archaeology, geoarchaeology, material culture studies, rock art, and community-based research. Her broader areas of research interest include Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan archaeology, trade and migration, prehistory, burial and death archaeology, lithic studies, landscape archaeology, ethnoarchaeology, traditional knowledge systems, and the genetic study of Himalayan populations.

Dr. Singh's archaeological interests are in the western Himalayas and the wider Trans-Himalaya, with fieldwork in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Upper Mustang (Nepal), the Narmada Valley, Rajasthan, and Borneo. Her doctoral research on the archaeology of Spiti Valley, from the earliest times to the 9th century CE, combined exploration, excavation, and geoarchaeological analysis. It is complemented by publications on the valley's ancient ceramic tradition, burial sites, lithic assemblages, and rock art. Her work on borderland archaeology examines the Indian Himalayan Region as a shared cultural and historical corridor rather than a set of bounded territories, and considers how archaeology can inform national identity, integrity, and shared heritage. Her ethnoarchaeological work on mask-making in the Upper Alaknanda Valley and on the Kotha architecture of Garhwal offers a lens on ritual practice, belief systems, and cultural exchange along Himalayan trade corridors.

Dr. Singh is also engaged in interdisciplinary and policy-oriented research. She has contributed to collaborative publications linking archaeology, genetics, and gut-microbiome research, including work in Science Advances (2025) on human admixture histories at the northern Himalayan frontier and in Gut Microbes (2026) on urbanization and the human gut microbiome across South Asia. Her geoarchaeological study of the lithic assemblages from Dzamathang in Spiti Valley was published in the Geological Society, London, Special Publications (2021). She has also worked on a UNESCO-published chapter on migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was a Research Assistant on an ICSSR (Ministry of Education) project on reverse migrants in Uttarakhand, and contributed a chapter on preserving the culture and heritage of the Himalaya to policy recommendations on India's G20 presidency submitted to NITI Aayog and the Government of India.

Dr. Singh secured her doctoral degree in Archaeology from H.N.B. Garhwal University in 2021. She is currently Assistant Professor in the Heritage, Science and Society Programme at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. Previously, she was a Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, working on late Quaternary environmental changes and early human society in the Upper Ganga Basin, and Assistant Professor of History at Shoolini University, where she received the Shoolini Star Faculty award (2023) and was named among the Top 10 Faculty at the Golden Rudraksh Awards (2025). She is a Council Member of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) India 2027. She has presented her work at international forums including Oxford University (2016), the World Archaeological Congress (2022, 2025), International Union of Quaternary Research (2019, 2023), the International Association of Tibetan Studies, and the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, and has chaired sessions at WAC (Prague 2022, Darwin 2025) and INQUA (Rome 2023). Her public scholarship includes a TEDx talk, invited lectures, and popular writing on Himalayan heritage. Her work emphasises collaboration between archaeology, earth sciences, genetics, and local communities to safeguard cultural heritage under threat from climate change and development pressures.

Dr. Suryesh Kumar Namdeo leads the Bio-Responsibility Initiative at the Indian Institute of Science. He is a member of the Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS) and a former Fellow at the Asia Centre for Health Security (ACHS), Singapore. Dr. Namdeo serves on the advisory board of the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) and contributes to the AIxBio Global Forum — reflecting his deep engagement with emerging biosecurity risks. 

His expertise has been sought by leading global institutions, including the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), where he has contributed to multiple expert committees on biosecurity. He previously served as Science and Technology Consultant for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, where his responsibilities involved acting as a bridge between scientists and policymakers. For his contributions in biosecurity, he was a finalist for the PACEY Award 2026, by the Basel Peace Office in Switzerland.

An IFBA certified Biorisk Management Professional, he has also championed the science policy community as a former Director for Outreach and Engagement at the Journal of Science Policy and Governance (JSPG). He earlier served as programme officer for the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Fellowship Programme of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. He holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany. 

Nandita Chaturvedi is a theoretical physicist working at the interface of statistical physics, ecology and evolutionary biology. She completed her PhD in soft condensed matter physics at the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently carried out postdoctoral research at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, in mathematical ecology and evolution. Her research uses analytical and computational approaches to study adaptation in changing environments, non-genetic adaptation and cellular learning, and the structure of genotype- and environment-to-phenotype maps. More broadly, she is interested in using tools from statistical physics, dynamical systems and machine-learning theory to understand how biological systems adapt to heterogeneity and evolve across scales.

Riza Fathima A V is a doctoral student at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, and is associated with the School of Conflict and Security Studies. She holds a Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam. Her research interests centre on Africa, with a specific focus on the Sahel region, particularly conflicts and security in the Sahel, the intersectionality of challenges, and an interest in the experiences and vulnerabilities of women in conflict-affected contexts.

Prof. Rajasab brings four decades of experience in teaching, research, and higher education administration, including 19 years as a Full Professor. He currently serves as Chairman of the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy (KSTA), Bengaluru. He served as Vice Chancellor of Tumkur University, Registrar and Pro Vice Chancellor at Khaja Bandanawaz University, and Registrar (Evaluation) at Gulbarga University alongside visiting professorships in USA and China, and faculty positions in Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. He specializes in Botany, Plant Pathology, Biosynthesis of Nano-materials, Aerobiology, Biodiversity Conservation and Documentation and Scientific validation of traditional knowledge on medicinal plants and wild edible plants.

Supervised twenty Ph.D. Scholars, authored 91 research papers, good orator in Kannada, published seven books (one in English), written several popular science articles in Kannada. He is recipient of CRS Lifetime Achievement Award (2026) Lifetime Achievement Award (2025) and Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) from the Indian Aerobiological Society, Higher Education Leadership Award,  Paryavaran Mitra Award, K.C. Mehta & Manoranjan Mitra Award, and P. H. Gregory Young Scientist Award besides holding Fellowships of KSTA, IPS, ISMPP, and IAS. He has chaired committees on NAAC, RUSA, UGC, and NEP-2020, and served as Chairman of search committees for selection of Vice Chancellors of some universities in Karnataka.

Born on 3 April 1955 in Navillehal village, Shimoga district in a farming family, Prof. Rajasab holds Ph.D. (1981), M.Sc. (1976), and B.Sc. (1974) from the University of Mysore.

Antariksh Pasricha is a PhD scholar at NIAS working with Dr. Deepti Navaratna. His work brings together music, technology, and the study of the human brain. With academic training in Computer Science and Hindustani music, and over five years of experience as a music educator, he brings both analytical and creative perspectives to his research. His primary interest in music perception developed through his experience of teaching, where he became fascinated by how the same piece of music could be perceived, interpreted, and experienced so differently by different listeners and students. This curiosity gradually led him to explore the role of individual experience, learning, and culture in shaping musical perception.

 A trained vocalist and guitarist, he often experiments with bringing the melodic phrasing and nuances of Indian ragas to the guitar- an experience that has further deepened his interest in how musical ideas are perceived and expressed across different musical contexts. His doctoral research focuses on the perception of continuous and microtonal pitch in Indian classical music, particularly phenomena such as shruti, meend, and other forms of pitch movement. He is interested in combining behavioural, computational, and neuroscientific approaches to understand how the brain, musical experience, and cultural learning shape our perception of music.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antariksh-pasricha/

Email: antariksh.pasricha@nias.res.in, antariksh.pasricha@gmail.com

Anirban Ghosh is a PhD Scholar in the School of Humanities at NIAS under the program of Heritage Science and Society with the supervision of Dr. S. Udayakumar. 

He is a young archaeologist and an early-career researcher who is enthusiastic about the past for a better future. 

He has academic training in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Archaeology, along with a UGC-NET JRF in Archaeology; his research interests include ethnoarchaeology, traditional performance traditions, archaeology, heritage, and the study of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. He has field experience with the Archaeological Survey of India, including archaeological excavation, documentation, and heritage-related work, and has published research on Indian theatre, dramaturgy, and cultural history.

Ammu Muraleedharan is a PhD Scholar at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, at the School of Natural Sciences and Engineering. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from the Regional Institute of Education (NCERT), Mysuru, and a Master’s degree in Chemical Sciences from the Central University of Punjab. She qualified for UGC–Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Education in June 2025. She also worked as a Post Graduate Teacher at various schools in Karnataka.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of science education, environmental education, and climate change, with particular emphasis on the classroom transaction of environmental issues in school settings

Prof. Balasubramanian Ananthanarayan (BA) of the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore is a student of the 1980-85 batch in Chemical Engineering (roll no. 20007).  He is highly accomplished researcher, teacher, educator working in the field of elementary particle physics and field theory, after obtaining his MS and PH. D. from the University of Delaware, USA.  He is also well known for his commitment to the betterment of the cause of science and for his engagement with many issues, including, e.g., his long service on the Board of the Kum.L. A. Meera Memorial Trust (established in memory of Ms. L. A. Meera, IITM alumna).  BA is well-known for a large number of original and important contributions in his field, including his landmark prediction of the top-quark mass in 1991 as part of his Ph. D. work, his work as a post-doctoral fellow on collider physics and in dispersion relation theory.  As a faculty member at IISc, he established several fields in the quantum field theory and particle physics, which are too numerous to list. His impressive list of publications speaks for itself as does his citation record.  As a teacher he has excelled during his nearly 29 years of service and has graduated 12 students with their Ph. D.s which is the present record at the Centre for High Energy Physics.  BA was also instrumental during his nearly 10 years as the Chair of CHEP in turning the Centre into the most sought-after destination for a career in the field, thereby offering rare leadership in addition to his scholarship, teaching and research. BA has also carried out tremendous service to the world of physics and particularly in India through his editorial work with Springer.