Adjunct Faculty

Dr. Dhananjay A. Sant, a retired Professor of Geology from the Department of Geology at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, India, holds over 38 years of academic and research experience. His expertise spans multidisciplinary studies in geology, geomorphology, paleoclimatology, geoarchaeology, and near-surface seismology. Dr. Sant obtained his Ph.D. in Geology in 1992 and a master’s degree in Geology (Honors) in 1987 from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. His research focuses on climate change dynamics, sedimentary processes, and subsurface imaging techniques. His impactful publications have significantly contributed to Earth Sciences, appearing in prestigious journals such as Geophysical Research Letters, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Frontiers Earth Science, Cretaceous Research, Current Science, Journal Geological Society of India. Dr. Sant has collaborated with esteemed institutions, including IISc Bangalore, Department of Ancient History and Archaeology at MSU, CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute, Bengaluru, Geological Survey of India, Jammu University, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, and the University of Cambridge. He has guided numerous Ph.D. students and serves as a reviewer for numerous international scientific journals and funding bodies. Dr. Sant’s pioneering research is on high-resolution quantitative sedimentology and profiling low-velocity zones within Quaternary sediments and beneath the Deccan Traps using microtremor HVSR technique. Microtremor HVSR technique has practical applications in engineering and mineral exploration, as well as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sequestration. Additionally, Dr. Sant actively participates in professional associations and has held key administrative positions at the university, including serving as a Senate member and Director of the All-India Central Services Training Centre.

Dr. Ashwagosha Ganju is a snow science and avalanche expert with over 32 years of experience at the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). He holds a PhD in Quaternary Environment Reconstruction and advanced degrees in Geology from Punjab University. As Director of SASE, he led numerous pioneering initiatives in avalanche forecasting, climate impact assessment, remote sensing, and cryospheric hazard mitigation. He spearheaded major projects like PARWAT, HIMVIVIDHITA, HIM SANDESH, and ANUMAN, and developed advanced models and training systems for snow and avalanche risk management in the Himalayas.

He has advised the Indian Army on safe troop mobility, established observatories across the Siachen region, and trained personnel in avalanche rescue and safety. Dr. Ganju has presented his work at international forums, including Switzerland, Canada, Japan, and Antarctica, and has collaborated with agencies like DST, MoES, and NASA-ISRO. His work has earned him multiple awards, including the Defence Technology Spin-Off Award and the HR Leadership Award.

A prolific researcher, Dr. Ganju has authored over 70 papers and two books, contributing significantly to the field of cold region science making him a key figure in Himalayan environment studies and disaster risk reduction.

Prof. Rajat Mazumder is a field geologist with a specialization in sedimentology and stratigraphy. He earned a Ph. D in Geology in 2002 (Jadavpur University, India) and have 23 years of postdoctoral research and teaching experience in India, Japan (JSPS Postdoc, 2002-2004 at Yokohama National University and JSPS invited research fellowship for 2 months in 2008), Germany (Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow at Munich University, 2005-2006), Australia (UNSW Sydney, Curtin University), Malaysia (Curtin University) and Oman (German University of Technology in Oman).

He has participated in field expeditions in the remote areas of Japanese islands, east Malaysia, Western Australia and Germany. Prof. Mazumder has published over 100 research papers both as a single author and as a member of the international research team since before his Ph. D award in peer reviewed Earth science journals. He is currently one of the subject editors of J. Geol. Soc. London, an associate editor of Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, Sedimentology (IAS), Geology (Geol. Soc. America), and Geol. Soc. America Bull.

Dr. Nanjangud C Narendra (NCN) is a retired Master Researcher at Ericsson Research, currently working as a Consultant Technologist in Artpark, IISC, Bangalore. Prior to joining Ericsson, he worked in MS Ramaiah University, Cognizant, IBM Research, HP India and Motorola India. He has about 32 years R&D experience in the Indian IT industry. His research interests span Software Engineering, Workflow Management, Web Services, Service Oriented Architecture, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Edge Computing, Data Management and Analytics, 5G/6G applications, AI/ML applications. He has published over 120 papers in international conferences and journals. He has been Program Committee member for several key conferences such as Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (AAMAS), International Conference on Service Oriented Computing (ICSOC), IEEE International Cloud Computing Conference; he was also Program Committee Chair for ICSOC (Industry track) in 2012 and ICSOC (Research track) in 2015. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of Service Oriented Computing and Applications journal and IEEE Transactions on Services Computing journal. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and ACM.

The overarching philosophy of Samira Agnihotri's research is ‘listening ecology,’ which aims to draw attention to diverse voices – human and more-than-human, and in doing so, encourage people to listen more -- to the sounds of nature around them, and to each other. Her work crosses disciplinary boundaries, from birdsong and bioacoustics to anthropology and linguistics, and is embedded in the biocultural landscape of the Biligiri Rangan Hills, where she has worked since 2004 in collaboration with the Solega people.

Dr. Pravin is a visionary neurologist and researcher driven by an unwavering commitment to advancing care for headache disorders, chronic pain, and altered states of consciousness. Bridging meticulous clinical practice with cutting-edge science, he pioneers multidisciplinary strategies that redefine patient outcomes.

As Senior Consultant Neurologist and Clinical Lead at Narayana Health’s Comprehensive Headache and Facial Pain Centre of Excellence (India), he orchestrates innovative therapies for complex cases, while globally shaping education as Director of the World Headache Society Academy and Affiliate Professor at Loyola University (Chicago). His work spans:
🔸 Research: Leading international registries (e.g., Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Registry) and groundbreaking discoveries like “Burning Vertex Syndrome.”
🔸 Education: Mentoring clinicians across continents and editing seminal textbooks that standardize pain management.
🔸 Advocacy: Championing equitable access to neurological care in underserved regions.

Rooted in empathy and rigor, his mission is to unravel the mysteries of consciousness and pain, transforming insights into hope for patients worldwide.

Shri Rajinder Khanna has served for 46 years with the Government of India.  Initially, as an IPS officer in Orissa, thereafter as an Intelligence Officer in Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and in his last 8 years in the apex body of national security.

Academic Background: After graduating with Honours in Economics from Hans Raj College, Delhi University, Shri Rajinder Khanna did his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University in 1978.

Professional Career: Shri Khanna preferred a career in the civil services over joining the private sector and on the basis of a Civil Services examination in 1977, joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1978.
During the Foundation Course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration (LBSAA), Mussoorie, Shri Khanna was awarded the Director’s Silver Medal for securing the highest marks in Economics.
On completion of basic training, Shri Khanna was allotted to the Orissa Cadre.  From 1979 to 1985, he held several important posts including Superintendent of Police, Puri and Superintendent of Police, Ganjam.  As Superintendent of Police of Puri Shri Khanna received a number of commendations from the Chief Minister for eradicating dacoity in the district. 
Shri Khanna came on secondment to R&AW in November 1985. In his initial years, he dealt from both within the country and outside, security issues related to our neighbourhood.  In the process, he developed an expertise in counter insurgency and counter terrorism. Shri Khanna was appointed as Secretary R&AW (Chief of R&AW) in December 2014 and headed the organization for a period of two years.  
Shri Khanna did a year’s stint in the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) as Officer on Special Duty (Neighboring Countries).  In January, 2018 he was appointed as Deputy NSA with the specific responsibility of enhancing the country’s intelligence by the use of technology.  On July 3, 2024 he was elevated to the rank of Additional NSA. He relinquished the charge of Additional NSA on October 3, 2024.

Ashutosh Simha currently works as a consultant in nonlinear control, robotics and flight dynamics for Indian defense based organizations. Previously he worked as a post-doctoral researcher at TUDelft, Netherlands prior to which he worked at the Institute of Cybernetics, Tallinn, Estonia. He completed his PhD at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in the field of Geometric control theory. His research interests are in Riemannian geometry, Nonlinear dynamics and control, robotics. He is also actively pursuing Vedic studies with Vedanta Bharati, under the guidance of His Holiness Sri Sri Shankarabharati Mahaswamiji.

Swami Narasimhananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897 and is presently the Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kozhikode, Kerala which runs a higher secondary school from kindergarten to 12th standard and a polyclinic. He is a former editor of ‘Prabuddha Bharata’, an English monthly journal of the humanities and social sciences started by Swami Vivekananda in 1896. He has edited a book containing Swami Vivekananda’s teachings named ‘Vivekananda Reader’. He specialises in Indian Philosophy and Religious Studies. He is a member of the International, Interdisciplinary and Interreligious Research Group on ‘Consciousness Studies’ under the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights, Pontifical University, Rome, Italy. He has publications in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Bengali, and Tamil.