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Akash. S

Senior Research Fellow

Postgraduate in Climate Change Adaptation from College of Climate Change and Environmental Science (formerly known, Academy of Climate Change Education and Research), Kerala AgriculturalUniversity, Thrissur, Kerala, India. He currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography on the topic “Climate-induced variabilities of physical oceanography on the oxygen dynamics in the coastaland open waters of the Northern Indian Ocean” at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies(KUFOS), Kochi, Kerala, India. He joined NERCI as Junior Research Fellow under Ministry of EarthSciences sponsoring project entitled “COMFORT - Our common future ocean in the Earth system –quantifying coupled cycles of carbon, oxygen, and nutrients for determining and achieving safeoperating spaces with respect to tipping points (2019 – 2022)”. COMFORT is a Horizon 2020 programme of the European Commission having 32 partners from different countries including India.

Anand M Vijayan

Junior Research Fellow

He holds a postgraduate degree in Physical Oceanography from the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kochi, Kerala. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Physical Oceanography, focusing on "Unveiling the Drivers of Primary Productivity in the Northern Indian Ocean: A Coupled Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Modelling Approach" at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) under the guidance of Dr. Ranith R, Scientist, NERCI.

He began his journey at NERCI as a Junior Research Fellow on the ISRO-SAC funded project "OCM-3 Calibration and Validation" working under the supervision of Dr. Ajith Joseph K, Director of NERCI. His research interests encompass Ocean Color Remote Sensing, Marine Optics, and Productivity, aiming to shed light on the intricate dynamics of the marine ecosystem.

Chandu P J

Senior Project Associate

Chandu P J is a Senior Project Associate at the Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India). He holds a Master's degree in Applied Geology from the Central University of Karnataka and has been awarded the Summer Research Fellowship by the Indian Academy of Sciences. He completed his SRFP at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. Chandu has more than 4 years of experience in remote sensing and GIS, GHG accounting, and PCF analysis. He is a part of Urban Sustainability in Action Multi-disciplinary Approach through Jointly Organized Research schools, and has contributed to various environmental impact assessment projects and commercial carbon neutrality assessment projects.

Farzana Haris

Junior Research Fellow

Postgraduate in Climate Change Adaptation from the College of Climate Change and Environmental Science, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala. She is currently working as a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) on the Indo- Norwegian project "Climate Change Impact on the Marine Coastal Ecosystem of Kerala (C3-eKerala)." Her research focuses on understanding the effects of shoreline changes on sensitive coastal habitats such as mangroves and seagrass along the Kerala coast. She qualified for the UGC- NET lectureship in Environmental Science and also qualified for the DST- INSPIRE fellowship (Level-I). Previously, she worked as an Assistant Professor in Climate Change Adaptation at Kerala Agricultural University.

Research Interests: Climate Change studies, Biological Oceanography, Climate Projection, Remote Sensing and GIS, Geo-statistical modelling

Jaishnu J Nair

Project Fellow

Project Fellow at the Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India) since January 2024, holds an M.Sc. degree in Geography from MKU, Tamil Nadu, and specializes in GIS & Remote Sensing projects, especially in land monitoring analysis, which involves using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques to observe, evaluate, and analyse land use and land cover changes, focusing on detecting environmental impacts and sustainability trends. Also works in carbon neutrality assessment.

Nancey Selin

Project Fellow

Nancey Selin is a Project Assistant at Nansen Environmental Research Centre, India, with key expertise in phytoplankton identification for the project "Waterborne Infectious Diseases and Global Earth Observation in the Near Shore” since April 2023. She holds a Postgraduation in Marine Biology from Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, and completed her dissertation at the National Centre for Coastal Research, Chennai, where she also gained experience in benthic related studies.

Rithin Raj M

Resarch Associate

Rithin Raj M is a marine biology researcher working on the ''WADIM"; project, which addresses Water-Associated infectious Diseases in India through digital Management tools. He holds a degree in Botany, an MSc in Aquaculture and Fish Processing, and an M.Phil in Life Sciences. He is currently pursuing PhD in Marine Sciences at Cochin University of Science and Technology. Rithin has served as a Research Fellow and Research Associate at Nansen Environmental Research Centre - India, and as a Research Fellow at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS). His roles include Programme Coordinator and Office Secretary at Swadeshi Science Movement, Teaching Faculty at CISTAM, and Project Coordinator for the Coconut Development Board Project. His research interests include biodiversity, ecology, and taxonomy, with specialisations in marine biology, planktonology, microbiology and aquatic ecology. Rithin has published on topics such as ‘Antimicrobial resistance in Vibrio parahaemolyticus’, Reproductive biology of Malabar pufferfish, etc. He has contributed to Environmental Impact Assessments for KITCO Ltd., Indian Oil Corporation, and Kerala Water Authority. Awards include the DST Purse fellowship and a Trevor Platt Science Foundation grant.

Saradhy Surendran

Junior Research Fellow

He holds postgraduate M.Tech in Ocean and Coastal Safety Engineering from Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Panangad, Kochi, Kerala. He is currently working as a Junior Research Fellow on the MoES-funded project, ObsSea4Clim. His research focuses on understanding the effects of Marine Heatwaves in the Barents Sea and Nordic Seas (Arctic Ocean). He achieved the prestigious first rank in his post-graduation, a testament to his hard work, dedication, and excellence. He also qualified for GATE in Engineering Science (Fluid Mechanics, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences).

He began his journey at NERCI as a Junior Research Fellow in the Ministry of Earth Sciences-EU H2020 co-funded project, Ocean Observations and Indicators for Climate and Assessments (ObsSea4Clim), at the Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India), working under the supervision of Dr. Ajith Joseph K, Director of NERCI.

Research Interests: Physical Oceanography, Climate Change Studies, Ocean and Coastal Hazards

Ullas M Pillai

Senior Research Fellow

Post graduate in Physical oceanography from Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, he currently serves as Senior Research Fellow at Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India) and a Nansen Fellow of the Nansen Scientific Society, Norway for his PhD on "Sea level variability over the North Indian Ocean and Future Projection for the Indian Coast”. His Bachelor's degree was in Physics, and he completed his Master's in Physical Oceanography with University First Rank.

He joined NERCI under the Nansen Fellowship for research during his MSc dissertation, where he worked under Prof. Ola M Johannessen, Dr. Roshin P Raj, and Dr. Ajith Joseph. He earned a second Nansen Fellowship for his PhD from the Nansen Scientific Society. He was one of the crew members of the One Ocean Expedition 2021-23 and participated in the ESA-NERSC Advanced Ocean Synergy Training Course onboard the Statsraad Lehmkuhl from Maputo to Cape Town. He has presented his work at national and international conferences, including EGU General Assembly 2022.

Research Interest: His research expertise includes Satellite Oceanography, Mesoscale variabilities, and Sea Level Changes

Vishal

Project fellow

He is a Project Fellow at the Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India), with key expertise in zooplankton identification for the project “Water-Associated Infectious Diseases in India: Digital Management Tools and Harmful Algal Bloom.” He also has expertise in water quality assessment and conducting field sanitation surveys among households in coastal areas. He holds a postgraduate degree in Marine Biology from the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kochi. He completed his dissertation at the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai, where he also gained experience in pigment production from marine bacteria.