Dr Rohan Shetti (Ph D) Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation

​Dr. Rohan Shetti (PhD) is the founder of this course of Environmental Analytics. He has been active in dendro-ecological and dendro-climatological research in the sub-arctic regions from 2013 to 2021. His doctoral research was in understanding the response of vegetation to the contemporary climate warming in the sub-arctic and alpine regions in Europe and Russia. Dr. Shetti is now a post-doctoral scientist at University of Jan Evangelista in Ústí nad Labem (UJEP) in the Czech Republic working on understanding the response of trees to environmental pollution using dendro-ecological and dendro-chemical techniques. 
Apart from his research in Europe Dr Shetti has on going collaborative research with Agharkar Research Institute, Pune  about vegetation diversity analyses of rock outcrops in the Western Ghats. Apart from his work in natural sciences Dr Shetti works in an honorary capacity as a vice-president of Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program (TMNP) which works with identification and nurturing of gifted students from tribal, remote and underprivileged communities in Maharashtra, India.

Dr. Aparna Watve (PhD) Botany, Taxonomy and Landscape Ecology

​Dr. Aparna Watve is IUCN SSC Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group Redlist Authority Coordinator. She has a doctorate in vegetation ecology and has 20+ years of experience of working on conservation action in the Western Ghats hot-spot region. Her research focused on special and lesser known habitats especially Rock Outcrops and conservation planning with linkages to livelihoods and community development. She leads Rock Outcrops Network (https://rockoutcropofindia.in/), dedicated towards conservation action and scientific advocacy for the Rock Outcrops in India. The network has successfully achieved legal protection of biodiversity rich areas outside the Protected Area Network through community action. She has written 20 papers and co-edited a book on Corporate Biodiversity Management for Sustainable Growth. She has been a part of threat assessments for the Western Ghats Freshwater Plants. Aparna is currently teaching interdisciplinary subjects related to environment and society interactions at various universities. She has served as a member of the plant expert committee of the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board.

Dr. Pankaj Koparde (PhD) Ecology and Evolution

Dr Pankaj Koparde is an evolutionary ecologist and assistant professor at the School of Ecology & Environmental Management, MIT World Peace University, Pune, India.  He is interested in biodiversity research and conservation and aims at making an impact at the grass-root level.  He is actively involved in the co-creation of knowledge by outreach through the use of popular media and citizen science. He loves teaching and the process of co-learning. He is a strong proponent of experiential learning. Dr Koparde leads two independent working research groups called the Chatur Ullu project and Dragonfly India which looks at various kinds of ornithological and entomological  research. For more information about his on going projects follow the link https://www.chaturullu.in

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