national NODE - India

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Watch the video of testimonials from students and researchers across India to celebrate World Oceans Day.
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Table of Contents

Introducing ECOP India

The UN Ocean Decade story of Indian ECOPs began in 2021 with the launch of a video interviewing research scholars across India during World Ocean Day 2021. Indian ECOPs also conducted an art contest on the theme of: “What does Ocean mean to you?”. The contest was conducted separately for kids and older participants. Then, in 2022-2023, the ECOP Asia team circulated a national ECOP needs-assessment survey in India and published the results in their 2023 India survey report. This report helped lay the foundations for the creation of an official national ECOP node for India. The ECOP India node is structured around and inclusive of every single division of Ocean Science in India, regardless of age, gender, discipline, geography and sector. 

Our main vision is to empower a network of Indian ECOPs by ensuring meaningful representation and participation of ECOPs in various conferences, symposiums, workshops, training and mentoring platforms, whether at the local, national or global level. The aim is to enhance ECOP engagement and leadership by conducting outreach activities and building up partnerships with various ocean stakeholders across India. We want ECOPs to be ocean leaders across all sectors of society and strive towards a sustainable ocean by working towards the UN Ocean Decade goals beyond 2030.

Action plan

1)  Listing and mapping marine institutions, research labs, community-led projects, and other  ocean organizations/initiatives based in India. This information will help strengthen our national network,

2) Fostering a well-informed and ocean literate society,

3) Planning webinars on various topics and in-person events, including workshops, training and ECOP/Decade awareness campaigns,

4) Producing annual progress reports, surveys and resource materials,

5) Enhancing our social media engagement, 

6) Building partnerships with UN Ocean Decade actors and other marine stakeholders across India, including the new Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) hub for India.

ECOP India Highlights (non-exhaustive list)

  • Video interviews available on the UNESCO YouTube channel (June, 2021) – see below.

How to get involved

If you have any questions, inquiries or if you would be willing to help and contribute to our national ECOP node for India, contact us at: india@ecopdecade.org.

ECOP India Governance Structure - Coordinators

Sunanda is a PhD scholar from IIT Kharagpur and an active ECOP since 2021. Her research interests lie in ocean biogeochemistry and climate change. She envisions a clean, sustainable and a predicted ocean and believes that with the combined effort of everyone, we could achieve this goal globally, helping the future generations beyond 2030.
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Sunanda Narayanan
National Coordinator (Co-lead)
Trishneeta Bhattacharya studies the biogeochemical dynamics of the Indian Ocean and air-sea exchange of gases using a suite of ocean and coupled climate models from global to regional. Since 2021, she has been a part of the ECOP programme in India, coordinating activities and synergizing different groups in India working towards a common goal of ocean sustainability.
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Trishneeta Bhattacharya
National Coordinator (Co-lead)

Core members

Rony Peter is a PhD scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. His research focuses on the increasing trend of CO2 in the atmosphere and its impact on the marine ecosystem, especially in the north Indian Ocean, using satellite measurements and empirical and coupled models. His research contributes to the sustainable goal of the UN Decade of Ocean Science, ‘a predicted Ocean’ by giving insights into the current status of carbon dynamics of the north Indian Ocean with a focus on upwelling and dynamically active regions.
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Rony Peter
Midhila Varna is currently enrolled as a Research Fellow at INCOIS, Hyderabad. She has completed her master's in Physical Oceanography from CUSAT, Kochi. As a budding illustrator, Midhila is passionate about spreading science through simple, visual stories that everyone can enjoy and understand.
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Midhila Varna
Sambit Singh is a marine biologist with a Master's in Marine Biology, currently pursuing a PhD in the same field. He serves as a Project Scientist at the Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology, Ministry of Earth Sciences. His expertise includes marine ecosystem hydrobiology, plankton dynamics, phytoplankton chemotaxonomy, and aquatic bio-optics. With a strong research background, Sambit specializes in marine ecosystem dynamics and bio-optical processes in aquatic environments..
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Sambit Singh
Falak is a coral reef ecology researcher at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, with a deep passion for studying the intricate dynamics of coral ecosystems. Her research centers on the immune responses of corals to competitive interactions—how corals defend themselves and adapt when faced with challenges from other species. This area of study is critical for understanding how coral reefs, vital to marine biodiversity, cope with environmental stressors and competition in a rapidly changing world.
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Through her work, Falak aims to provide insights into coral health and resilience, which are key to preserving these ecosystems in the face of threats like climate change and ocean acidification. By uncovering the mechanisms that govern coral interactions, she hopes to contribute to more effective strategies for coral restoration and long-term reef protection, ensuring that future generations can continue to experience the wonder of healthy, thriving reefs.
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Falak Shaheen
Anagha Payyambally is a PhD candidate at the University of Connecticut (USA), researching greenhouse gas production and emissions from coastal upwelling regions. For her graduate studies, she has been honored with the prestigious Quad Fellowship, awarded by the governments of India, Japan, Australia, and the USA. Additionally, she is an active member of the ECOP Ocean Literacy Asia team and the ECOP USA team.
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Anagha Payyambally
Dr. Femi Anna Thomas is an Assistant Professor at the Postgraduate and Research Department of Zoology, Union Christian College, Aluva, Kerala. She holds a Ph.D. in Microbial Ecology of High Arctic ecosystems from Goa University-NCPOR and an MSc in Marine Biology from Cochin University of Science and Technology with a University First Rank. With research experience as a Project Scientist II at the National Institute of Ocean Technology and as a Research Fellow at NCPOR, Dr. Thomas has contributed to several high-impact publications in international journals.
Recognized with the Young Polar Scientist Award (2023) and as an Emerging Leader at the Arctic Frontiers conference (2020), she specializes in bacterial genome analysis, Arctic microbial diversity, and marine ecosystems. Dr. Thomas has also participated in multiple Indian Arctic Expeditions and is a member of prestigious scientific organizations like ASM, AGU, and APECS.
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Dr. Femi Anna Thomas
Muneer A. serves as the president of the Association of Fisheries Graduates (AFG). He is a Senior Research Fellow at Cochin University of Science and Technology, pursuing PhD in Aquatic Animal Health specializing in fish virology. He has over six years of expertise in research, laboratory instrumentation, and extension services. Muneer is committed to driving innovation and sustainability in aquaculture and actively engages in organizational activities for the advancement of the field.
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Muneer A.
Avantai Acharya has a Ph.D. in Marine Science with a specialization in Marine Biogeochemistry. She has six years of experience in greenhouse gas studies and associated environmental data analysis and interpretation in a mangrove environment. She is a passionate field researcher, with published in peer-reviewed journals. Currently, she is working as a Carbon Sequestration Scientist at Liquid Trees, involved in microalgae-based carbon sequestration projects in the river and limnic systems.
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Dr. Avanti Acharya

Advisory Committee (new members to be announced soon)

Dr. Sudheesh V is a Marine Biogeochemist and Technical Officer at the Central University of Kerala, specializing in ocean biogeochemistry with a focus on the northern Indian Ocean. His research explores oxygen minimum zone dynamics, carbon and nitrogen cycling, and the impacts of deoxygenation on marine ecosystems. Dr. Sudheesh has participated in over 20 oceanographic cruises and has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals, contributing valuable insights into the ocean processes and their role in climate regulation and environmental sustainability.
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Dr. Sudheesh
Dr. Abul Qasim is a postdoctoral fellow at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad. His expertise lies in marine and terrestrial isotope biogeochemistry. He earned his doctoral degree from IISER Bhopal, where he used various trace metals and radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr isotopes to investigate the estuarine biogeochemistry/pollution and groundwater along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Cambay. He has also contributed to several research on aeolian and lacustrine biogeochemical processes.
At PRL, he works in marine biogeochemistry, mainly investigating the biogeochemical processes influencing C:N:P stoichiometry in seawater and corals in the tropical Indian Ocean. He is dedicated to contributing to the sustainable goal of the UN Decade of Ocean Science, particularly understanding the biogeochemical stressors to support the sustainable development of a productive ocean amid changing climate conditions.
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Dr. Abul Qasim
Dr. Samiran Mandal, Assistant Professor at IIT Delhi’s Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, specializes in physical oceanography. His research focuses on tidal hydrodynamics, boundary current dynamics, and eddy dynamics at mesoscale and sub-mesoscales using HF Radars and ocean circulation models. He also studies the surface and subsurface marine heatwaves, exploring their links to boundary currents, tropical cyclones, and marine productivity.
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Dr. Samiran Mandal
Shweta Naik

List of communication channels or groups for ECOPs in India

 
 

ECOP India Partner Organizations

Materials and Resources

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Share Your Opportunities with Us!

Fill out the form and share the exciting opportunities with ECOPs.

Contact Details

Please note that we will not publish or disclose your personal details on our website. We will use these in case we would need to contact you regarding this opportunity you are submitting.

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Share Your Opportunities with Us!

Fill out the form and share the exciting opportunities with ECOPs:

Contact Details

Please note that we will not publish or disclose your personal details on our website. We will use these in case we would need to contact you regarding this opportunity you are submitting.

Opportunity

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Share Your Opportunities with Us!

Fill out the form and share the exciting opportunities with ECOPs:

Contact Details

Please note that we will not publish or disclose your personal details on our website. We will use these in case we would need to contact you regarding this opportunity you are submitting.

Opportunity

Optional