Designation: Managing Director, BISA

Area of Expertise: Agronomy 

Geographical Focus: South Asia 

Email ID: a.k.joshi@cgiar.org

Short Bio 

Arun Kumar Joshi is engaged in developing climate-resilient, high-yielding, nutritive wheat varieties for South Asia. In addition, he is engaged in various collaborations on climate-resilient agriculture and seed system. He has facilitated the development and release of more than five dozen wheat varieties in South Asia through a significant contribution to climate resilience, disease resistance, conservation agriculture, and Zinc rich biofortification. His research findings are published in 188 refereed journal articles, 212 extension articles and manuals, 10 books or book chapters, and 136 symposia proceedings, and has a patent.

Joshi, a former Professor of Banaras Hindu University, is a fellow of the three most prestigious science academies in India – the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), the National Academy of Science in India (NASI), and the National Academy of Agriculture Sciences (NAAS). In 2014, he was awarded the Jeanie Borlaug Laube WIT Mentor Award from the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative at Cornell University.

Designation: Data analyst

Area of Expertise: Climate risk assessment

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: a.barik@cgiar.org  

Short bio

Anasuya is a climate researcher with specialization in climate risk assessment and biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Currently, her research areas include quantitative analysis of climate hazards and risk in agriculture systems using high-resolution downscaled climate projections, statistical and machine learning tools. Anasuya’s Ph.D. research analyses the climate change impacts on wildfires and forest productivity using climate and process-based modelling. She also has prior experience in urban heat islands, and their influence on the climate.

Designation: Bio-economic Modeler

Area of Expertise: Optimization, algorithm design, decision-making models, simulation modeling

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: A.deo@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Aniket is a generalized specialist with a PhD. in the “Application of operation research tools in agriculture” from IIT-Bombay. At BISA, he works on bio-economic & analytical aspects of climate adaptation research. This includes working with process-based models, high resolution spatial analysis of agricultural data, spatial crop modeling, preparing and validating secondary data and visualizing results. Additionally, Aniket has the expertise in developing linear and non-linear land use optimization models which finds application in regional adaptation modeling.

Designation: Agricultural Economist

Area of Expertise: Agricultural and development economics  

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: K.Bora@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Kaushik is an Agricultural Economist at BISA and is currently associated with the BISA project – ACASA. He has worked on climate adaptation and spatial hotspot analysis of climate-smart agriculture. His expertise lies in climate impact evaluation and spatial econometric applications. Dr. Bora comes with several years of experience in data collection and analysis using qualitative and quantitative methods. Kaushik carried out his doctoral research at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore, India, on Farmers’ input adjustments on account of climatic extremes.

Area of Expertise: Agricultural research and development, project and farm management.

Geographical focus: India 

Email ID: m.maske@cgiar.org  

Mahesh is an Station Coordinator at BISA Jabalpur. He has fifteen years of professional experience in the field of agricultural research and development, project and farm management. His expertise also includes coordinating national and international projects, conducting socio-economic surveys and capacity development programs in the field of agriculture, food-nutrition & climate-resilient agriculture. Previously he was associate with M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and ICAR-NBSS &LUP as an Agricultural Researcher. Mahesh completed his Masters in Agricultural Economics from IGKV Raipur (CG). Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Economics from Haryana with doctoral research work on “A study on socio-economic impact of climate change in farming community of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Area of Expertise: Farm Operation, Accounts and Admin.

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: mukesh.kumar@cgiar.org  

Mukesh Kuma is a Farm Operation Assistant at Pusa, Bihar. His responsibilities include overseeing all farm activities, managing procurement both locally and centrally, and handling payments for vendors and staff associated with BISA and CIMMYT. He also prepares monthly closure reports that cover production, seed management, land use, hostel and cafeteria operations, and consumables. He is also involved in seed sales during the Rabi, Kharif, and summer seasons, as well as daily work related to the CRA project.

Location: – Jabalpur (MP)

Area of Work and Expertise

Narain Dhar is a Research Associate (Wheat and Maize Breeding) with CIMMYT’s Global Wheat Program and the CGIAR. His recent work focuses on characterizing and evaluating a unique set of germplasm lines for abiotic stress. He is also an expert in high-throughput phenotyping and genomics.

Designation: Scientist, Climate Adaptation

Area of Expertise: Climate adaptation, climate risk management, crop insurance, adaptation prioritization, crop growth modelling, and spatial analysis

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: P.Bhaskar@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Paresh is an agriculture engineer by training and holds a PhD in Water Science and Technology. Previously, he worked as a Science Officer for South Asia in CGIAR-CCAFS, and with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). His key interests include early warning systems, crop insurance, climate change adaptation and land use allocation modelling. Paresh is responsible for research and development activities on scaling out climate-smart technologies in South Asia.

Area of Expertise: Agronomy and Agrometeorology

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: P.SELVAGANESAN@cgiar.org

Pazhanisamy has 3 years of teaching and research experience. His expertise lies in conservation agriculture, crop-weather relationships on rice and chickpea. He holds a PhD where he focused on integrating conservation agriculture, micro-irrigation, and nutrient management under legume-based cropping systems in the riverine region. Currently, he is working as a Hub-Coordinator under the CRA program in Bihar.

Area of Expertise: Crop growth models, climate impact assessment, adaptation strategies, mitigation

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: p.k.aggarwal@cgiar.org

Pramod is currently leading the BISA project – The Atlas of Climate Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture (ACASA). Previously, he also led the South Asia Regional Program for the CGIAR – CCAFS. He earned his post-doctoral degree at the IRRI, Philippines, and holds two doctoral degrees from the University of Indore, India, and from Wageningen University, Netherlands. He was awarded Academy of Sciences for the Developing World’s Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize in 2009, and the Indian National Science Academy’s Young Scientist Medal in 1983. Pramod’s professional research focuses on crop growth models for tropical environments, impact assessment of climatic variability and climate change on crops, and adaptation strategies and mitigation options, among other topics.

Designation: Specialist, Applied Data Science

Area of Expertise: Remote sensing, climate resilient agriculture, natural disaster management

Geographical focus: Global

Email ID: p.gangopadhyay@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Prasun is a data scientist at BISA. He has more than 15 years of experience in information science on analysis and information delivery systems in the fields of geo-natural activities, climate change, and its impacts on agriculture and resource efficiency. He is highly skilled in geo-information science, applications, and community-based inclusive programs and has extensive research experience in Asia, Europe, and Australia. Prasun graduated from the Utrecht University, the Netherlands with a PhD in Environmental Geosciences.

Name: Richa Sharma Puri 

Designation: Communication Specialist

Geographical Focus: South Asia

Email ID: r.puri@cgiar.org

Short Bio 

Richa is a digital anthropologist and communicator with 17+ years of experience in the media and development sector. Currently, she provides strategic leadership and support for BISA’s institutional and corporate communications programs in India.

She is an ex-journalist and worked with India’s leading news channel, TV Today (now India Today), as a correspondent and anchor, but now aims to strengthen and empower NGOs with communication strategies in the digital landscape. Richa has a broad understanding of coalitions and networks; she strives to develop people-centric communication strategies for the Asia Pacific region. Richa’s previous role, as a fellow for the Affinity Group of National Associations program, provided overall programmatic leadership and oversight for policy advocacy, knowledge management, communication and campaigns. Her core strengths are digital media, content development, filmmaking, website management, media mobilization, social media & Comms Strategy.

Designation: Communication Officer

Area of Expertise: Content strategy, media relations, corporate communication, quantitative and qualitative gender research

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: r.gupta@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Riya is a public health professional with a key focus on food security and maternal health. She comes with a diverse set of industrial experience in communication specific to content strategy, corporate and media relations, and developing on-field SBCC segments. At BISA, she is leading communications for the South Asian region as a part of ACASA project and is further expanding her technical expertise in gender, agriculture, and climate change research. Riya completed her Masters from the prestigious TISS, Mumbai.  

Designation: ACASA Coordinator – Heuristic Model

Area of Expertise: Agronomy, crop productivity, nitrogen and water use efficiency, agricultural water management, agronomic solutions through modelling, field experiments  

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: S.BANDYOPADHYAY@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Sanjoy is a Climate Change Adaptation Specialist with over three decades of experience in agronomic research and strategy development. He has led significant research on the impacts of environmental stresses on crop growth and yield, as well as the adaptation of agronomic practices to climate change. Sanjoy has also contributed to post-disaster agricultural recovery efforts and capacity-building programs, applying his skills in system simulation, crop yield modelling, and climate-resilient agriculture.

Designation: Data analyst

Area of Expertise: Machine Learning, Data Analysis, and Software Development

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: S.SINGH@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Saumya is an analytical data scientist with a strong foundation in Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and Statistics. With a background in engineering, her expertise lies in interdisciplinary research and the application of AI. Saumya has been actively contributing to software development, spatial analysis, mapping and developing compelling visualizations and statistics.

Area of Expertise: Climate Resilient Agriculture, Digital Agriculture, Nanotechnology, Soil Genesis & Fertility, Carbon Sequestration, Drone Technology, Waste Management, Socio-Economic Impact Analysis, Maize-Based Cropping Systems & Millet Cultivation

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: s.durgude@cgiar.org

Dr. Shubham Durgude holds a PhD in Soil Science working at CIMMYT, under the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), focusing on Climate Resilient Cropping Systems across South Asia. His expertise spans soil genesis, chemistry, and fertility, with a comprehensive approach to soil health and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Shubham is highly proficient in Digital Agriculture, drone technology, and waste management, leveraging these innovations to enhance farming efficiency and sustainability. He is also skilled in analysing the socio-economic impacts of agricultural interventions, ensuring practical benefits to farmers’ livelihoods. His specialization in climate-resilient practices in millets and maize-based cropping systems aims to improve both resilience and economic outcomes for farmers in the region.

Area of Expertise: Soil and Water Conservation, Climate Resilient Agriculture, Soil Physics

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: subhayan.das@cgiar.org

Subhayan specializes in natural resources conservation technologies and climate resiliency in agriculture, with a M.Sc. in Soil and Water Conservation, his current research at BISA focuses on mitigating the impact of climate change on crop production across South Asia through climate-resilient technologies. His work emphasizes sustainable practices in natural resource management to enhance agricultural productivity and resilience in changing environments.

Designation: Data analyst

Area of Expertise: Hydro-climatology, Water Resources, Machine Learning, Data-driven Modeling

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: U.Goswami@cgiar.org

Short bio (In not more than 50-100 words):

Uttam comes with an extensive experience in consultancy, research, and teaching in India and Canada. He is committed to advancing the understanding of hydro-climatological processes and their connections to the natural-human world through interdisciplinary research. His current research at BISA focuses on assessing the impact of climate change on crop production in South Asia through machine learning and spatial crop modelling. With a PhD in Water Resources Engineering, Uttam has expertise in hydro-climatology, hydrological modelling, and statistical analysis.

Designation: Hub Coordinator

Area of Expertise: Soil and Water Conservation, Climate Resilient Agriculture, Soil Physics

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID: subhayan.das@cgiar.org

Subhayan specializes in natural resources conservation technologies and climate resiliency in agriculture, with a M.Sc. in Soil and Water Conservation, his current research at BISA focuses on mitigating the impact of climate change on crop production across South Asia through climate-resilient technologies. His work emphasizes sustainable practices in natural resource management to enhance agricultural productivity and resilience in changing environments.

Name of the team member: Sachin Srivastava

Designation: Finance Coordinator

Area of Expertise: Accounts & Finance

Geographical focus: South Asia

Email ID:  s.srivastava@cgiar.org

Short bio

Sachin comes with an extensive experience of more than 20 years in the field of accounts & finance in India. He is committed to accounts payable, accounts receivable, managing grants, budget process & donor & statutory audits. His current work location is at BISA Ludhiana one of the head research stations of BISA.

He majority work experience is with big international organizations like Worldwide Fund For nature India, HelpAge India & International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies South Asia.

Name: Rajinder Sharma

Designation: Financial Analyst

Area of Expertise: Statutory Compliance, Financial Reporting, Grant & Fund Management, Internal Financial Controls.

Geographical focus: India

Email ID: rajinder.sharma@cgiar.org

Short bio 

Rajinder is currently a Financial Analyst at BISA, Ludhiana, where he oversees statutory compliance, accounts payable, internal controls, and financial reporting. He is responsible for managing fund liquidity, managing the financial records, supporting audits, and ensuring tax compliance. With expertise in fund and grant management, payroll control, and fixed asset management, Rajinder also has a strong background in donor reporting, budgeting, and financial compliance. He actively provides staff training and supports system implementations like Farm ERP, enhancing operational efficiency.

Name: Savita Sharma

 Designation: Manager – Procurement, Fleet & Logistics

Area of Expertise: Administration, Procurement, Logistics, Contract management and Coordination with various internal and external agencies

Geographical Focus: India

Email ID: Savita.sharma@cgiar.org 

Short Bio
A seasoned professional with extensive experience in administration, coordination, procurement, logistics and currently managing services across BISA’s key sites in India. Skilled in handling complex procurements, logistics, coordination, vendor management, and government liaison. Known for streamlining processes and ensuring compliance with institutional and partner protocols. Played a pivotal role in high-level event logistics and cross-border coordination with partners in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Passionate about delivering efficient, timely support to research and field teams through proactive planning and execution.