Post Docs

Dr. Subhashree Patra is a Post-Doctoral Associate at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. Her research focuses on forest ecology, biodiversity conservation, restoration biology, invasion biology, and the application of remote sensing and GIS to understand ecosystem dynamics. Currently,  she is involved in a project based on examining natural resource availability and utilization patterns through an integrative, interdisciplinary approach.

Her Ph.D. research work focuses on the ecological impacts of disturbances on vegetation dynamics, with field-based studies combined with geospatial techniques. She has examined floristic composition, forest regeneration potential, invasive species spread, and long-term forest cover change, with particular attention to conservation priorities and sustainable management of forest landscapes. Broadly, her work aims to support evidence-based strategies for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.

Sandipta is currently working as a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Heritage Science and Society Programme, School of Humanities, at the National Institute of Advanced Studies under the project titled “Towards a National Cultural Landscape Information System: Mapping Heritage Sites for Inclusive Planning”. Her contribution to the project involves site-specific archaeological and historical landscape documentation, mapping, and analysis using geospatial techniques. The documented outputs and spatial datasets are being integrated into the Kasturi Geospatial portal of Bhuvan in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). Her research focuses on cultural landscape studies through the integration of geospatial technologies and historical evidence-based analysis, with special emphasis on Historical GIS (H-GIS) applications for heritage documentation, mapping, and inclusive planning. Her specialization in Urban Studies, particularly examining the impact of urban growth and urban threats on heritage landscape environments. She works on understanding the transformation of cultural landscapes over time and developing geospatial frameworks for heritage conservation and sustainable urban planning.

Dr. Rekha is a Post-Doctoral Associate at the National Institute of Advanced Studies working in the domain of atmospheric science and air quality research. Her work focuses on understanding the dynamics of air pollution, its interaction with meteorological parameters and large-scale climatic phenomena. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, where her research focused on multivariate analysis of ambient air quality and winter fog, incorporating wind dynamics and air mass trajectory analysis. Prior joining NIAS, she has worked at CSIR–National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Delhi Zonal Centre in air quality resource management group gaining valuable experience in several R&D projects involving air pollution that included data analysis, source apportionment, receptor modeling and emission inventory-based studies. With several years of research experience, she has contributed to projects related to air quality-based studies, climate variability and regional atmospheric processes across leading institutions. She is a Life Member of Indian Aerosol Science and technology Association (IASTA). Dr. Rekha has presented her work on national and international platforms and has published in reputed journals.

Dr. Y. Deepthi is an Environmental Professional with 5 years of experience, having a strong focus on grassroots-level, multidisciplinary rural studies. Her work primarily emphasizes indoor air pollution and its overarching impacts on the environment and public health, integrating science, policy, and environmental management perspectives.

She completed her PhD from IIT Madras, where her research focused on human exposure to indoor air pollution in rural South India and the evaluation of clean cooking interventions. Her work involved extensive field-based monitoring, exposure assessment studies, and evaluation of interventions such as clean fuels and improved cookstoves. She holds an interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Technology and Development from CTARA, IIT Bombay, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University.

Her current research focuses on air pollution assessment, health risk assessment, HFC emission quantification, low-cost sensor evaluation, and air quality impacts of emerging energy and transport transitions. She has authored peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters, and several national and international conference presentations. Her research aims to support evidence-based environmental policymaking and sustainable strategies for improving air quality and reducing pollution-related health impacts.

Samayita Banerjee is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Heritage Science and Society Programme at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. Her work at NIAS focuses on the spatial documentation and GIS analysis of cultural heritage landscapes across India as part of the project Towards a National Cultural Landscape Information System, which is developing the KASTURI Portal, India's first curated geospatial heritage platform hosted on ISRO-Bhuvan. Her contributions include landscape mapping, dataset validation, and the development of spatial narratives for understudied archaeological sites. Her broader research specialisation lies in the landscape archaeology and geoarchaeology of South Asia, with a particular focus on human-environment interactions in the deltaic and coastal zones of Bengal and the forested uplands of central India.

Dr Dipak Mandal is a Post-Doctoral Associate at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. His research focuses on environmental governance, sustainability, and development studies, with particular attention to how socio-ecological systems respond to change in urban and coastal regions. His current work examines climate change, livelihood transitions, and ecosystem dynamics in the Indian Sundarbans. Through field-based research and stakeholder engagement, he explores how environmental vulnerability shapes everyday life, mobility, and adaptation in vulnerable coastal communities.

His doctoral research on urban environmental movements in Bengaluru examined the role of civic engagement in issues such as waste management and the conservation of urban commons. Broadly, his work is driven by an interest in understanding how community-led initiatives can contribute to more sustainable and inclusive forms of environmental governance.

Jithin Jose is an environmental engineer and researcher specialising in air quality assessment, emission inventory development, and particulate matter characterisation. He is currently working as a Postdoctoral Associate at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, where he contributes to research on atmospheric pollution, emission hotspots, and policy-relevant air quality studies.

He completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), where his research focused on road dust characterisation, source apportionment, and associated health risks. He also holds an M.Tech in Energy and Environmental Engineering from VIT and a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kerala.

Jithin has diverse professional experience spanning academia, research, and industry. He has served as a Teaching and Research Associate and Assistant Professor at VIT, and later as a Senior Research Fellow on a Department of Science and Technology-funded project. He has also worked as a Project Manager on large-scale source apportionment and emission inventory projects at IIT Madras, and as Chief Technology Officer at an IIT-Madras-based startup developing air pollution control technologies.

His research expertise includes air pollution monitoring, dispersion modelling, receptor modelling, and health risk assessment, supported by hands-on experience with advanced analytical instruments and modelling tools. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in reputed international journals and has received several awards for best paper presentations at national and international conferences.

Dr. Vani Kulkarni is a researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), 
Bangalore, working at the interface of behavioural ecology and microbiome science. Her 
research examines how animals make foraging decisions in changing environments and how 
these behaviours are linked to gut microbial communities.

Using primates as model systems, her work integrates behavioural experiments, ecological 
analysis, and microbial genomics to understand how anthropogenic environments reshape diet, 
perception, and host–microbiome interactions. Her research aims to address broader questions 
on ecological flexibility, adaptation, and the consequences of human-modified landscapes for 
animal behaviour and physiology

Dr. Shaik Vazeed Pasha is a Research Scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, where he is currently serving as the Co‑Project Lead and Key Resource Person for the initiative “Develop Natural Resource Utilization Plan for Biodiversity Hotspots.” He is also an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Trans‑Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Bengaluru. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)–ISRO, Hyderabad, completed in collaboration with Andhra University, and brings over 12 years of research experience across premier institutions including NRSC–ISRO, NIAS, and IIT Kharagpur.

His research focuses on advanced geospatial technologies for spatial biodiversity assessment, natural resource monitoring, biomass and carbon stock dynamics, and analysis of forest disturbance regimes, along with the integration of geo‑socio‑economic data. He has contributed to more than 13 national-level projects and, as Co‑Principal Investigator, successfully led the Government of India–sponsored IWST–ICFRE project on climate-driven impacts on Indian forests. His scholarly contributions include over 45 international publications with more than 1100 citations, and he actively mentors young researchers while serving as a reviewer for reputed international journals.

Dr. Pasha has conducted extensive field research across diverse ecosystems, including the Western and Eastern Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas, mangroves, and arid regions. He represented India at the 8th BRICS Young Scientist Conclave in 2023 and has guided over 35 interns in geospatial analytics. He is a Life Member of the Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG) and the Telangana Academy of Sciences and is affiliated with the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) and Science‑I. His contributions have been widely recognized with awards and commendations from ISRO, NIAS, IIT Kharagpur, the Karnataka Forest Department, and the Digital University of Kerala.