Panel Discussion

June 12, 2021, 7.00 pm onwards

Coastline Management in Kerala

Socio-economic and environmental paradigms

MODERATOR

Adv. Harish Vasudevan

Advocate, High Court of Kerala and National Green Tribunal

Adv. Harish Vasudevan, a green activist and an expert in environmental law. A lawyer by profession, Vasudevan is also an active environmentalist who worked closely in association with various environmental movements in the state. He was at the forefront of the campaigns to save Munnar, Nelliampathy, and Wetlands in Kerala and also in the campaign to ban Endosulfan. He led many successful legal battles in the National Green Tribunal and in various courts in Kerala. He was the consultant of UNDP for the preparation of Post-Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) of Kerala in 2018.

He’s a winner of the 'Asianet News Keerthimudra Award' in the environmental category in the year 2018.

PANELIST

Dr. Sreeja M.U.

Hazard Analyst, District Emergency Operations Centre, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Government of Kerala

Dr. Sreeja M.U currently working as District Emergency Operations Centre, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. She completed her MSc. Disaster Management from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and her Bachelors in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery from Amrita School of Ayurveda, Kerala under Amrita Vishwa Vidhyapeetham. She also worked at Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority, Government of Maharashtra, and also served for one month at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences project on Nepal Earthquake Relief 2015

PANELIST

Dr. A. Biju Kumar

Professor and Head, Dept. of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram

Currently serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries. Former Dean, Faculty of Science and Director of Research, University of Kerala. Served as Scientific Officer of Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, and Principal Scientific Officer and Member Secretary of Kerala State Biodiversity Board. Dr. Biju is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC). Winner of Young Scientist Award of Government of Kerala and Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences. Good Service Entry from the Government of Kerala.

MSc, MPhil, and Ph.D. from the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries. Areas of research include taxonomy, biodiversity, and ecology. Published more than 180 research papers, 25 books, and with a research gate score of 32.25. Described 8 new genera and 32 new species of aquatic organisms and three species are named after Biju Kumar. Environmental educator and popular science writer.

PANELIST

Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll

Scientist E, Centre for Climate Change Research, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune

Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll is a Climate Scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. He did his Ph.D. in Ocean and Atmospheric Dynamics from Hokkaido University, Japan. Roxy is currently leading research on climate change and rapid warming in the Indian Ocean—and how it impacts the rainfall patterns, the monsoon, the cyclones, and the marine ecosystem. He is the Chair of the CLIVAR Indian Ocean Region Panel and a Lead Author of the IPCC Reports. Roxy is among the list of top 2% of scientists ranked by the Stanford University.

PANELIST

Dr. S. Mohammed Irshad

Assistant Professor, Centre for Disasters and Development, Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Dr. S. Mohammed Irshad is currently an Assistant Professor with the Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies. His academic research is focused on disaster economics, risk economics, development planning, the political economy of development, water governance, and the history of disasters. His research examines the relationship between state and society, welfare models and their contemporary challenges, disaster loss, and its impacts on the economy more specifically the local economy and social and political movements around development and risk.

PANELIST

Dr. Sunil P.S.

Head and Associate Professor, Dept. of Marine Geology and Geophysics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi.

Dr. P.S. Sunil currently serves as an Associate Professor, Head of the Department, and Chairman, Board of Studies in the Department of Marine Geology & Geophysics, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). He has received his M.Sc. (Tech) and Ph.D. Degrees in Marine Geophysics from CUSAT during the years 1998 and 2007 respectively and completed his Post-Doctoral research at Nevada Geodetic Laboratory, University of Nevada, USA during 2012. He served as Sr. Scientist and Research Professor in the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), Mumbai, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India from 2000 to 2018. During 2011-2012 he has been on deputation to Nevada Geodetic Laboratory, University of Nevada, USA as a Visiting Scientist. He is also a recipient of JSPS Exchange Program Fellowship by Kyoto University, JAPAN and BOYSCAST Fellowship by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. As part of his research activities, he has been a member of Indian Antarctic Scientific Expedition twice during 2003 & 2005 and Indian Arctic Scientific Expedition four times consecutively during 2013 to 2016. He also serves as an Academic/Research Coordinator of the CUSAT-NCPOR Centre for Polar Science in School of Marine Sciences, CUSAT. He is a member of many National and International Geoscience Unions as well. Under his guidance two Ph.Ds. theses have been completed and he is having more than 40 peer reviewed research publication in his credit. He writes the popular science articles in periodicals. Currently, he is also a PI of 4 research projects funded by DST-SERB, DST-NRDMS and ISRO-SAC. At present, his research areas include Tectonic Geodesy, Hydro Geodesy, Earthquake Seismology, Ionosphere Seismology, and Glacier Dynamics, Terrestrial and Marine Geophysics.