Currently one of the directors of the Consortium for Sustainable Development, Higganum, Connecticut, USA; Adjunct Professor, Natural Sciences and Engineering, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, India.

Education

Cochin University of Science and Technology, India; University of South Carolina, USA.

Expertise

Environment, climate and other natural disasters, science communication.

Summary

· Ph.D. with over 35 years of research experiences in various branches of geosciences.

· Executed various research projects funded by Indian and International Agencies

· Published over 100 peer-reviewed research publications in various professional journals such as Nature, Geology, Journal of Geophysical Research, Bulletin of Seismological Society of America

· Author of technical books and popular science by publishers such as Springer and Penguin.

Experience

One of the directors of the Consortium of Sustainable Development (CSP), CP Rajendran (alias CP) is an adjunct professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. A prominent geoscientist in India with an international reputation, CP is recognized for his wide range across geological and environmental sciences. After his PhD in geological sciences from the Cochin University of Science and Technology, CP did his postdoctoral work on the seismic hazard of coastal South Carolina. Back in India, as a professional researcher, he focused on some of the most challenging questions relevant to such natural hazards and was also able to oversee the development of important cross-disciplinary initiatives in the earthquake, tsunami and environmental research. He started his scientific career at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Trivandrum and later joined the Indian Institute of Science and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India as a professor in geodynamics. His work has led to insights into earthquake/tsunami sources and their long-term behaviour. Through his collaborative work and international cooperation on coastal hazards and local capacity building, he has established linkages with researchers from various countries - USA, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Chile among them. CP is a prolific communicator on science policies, environment, education, and scientific temperament. He conducts science columns for various Indian dailies and news and opinion websites in English and his native language, Malayalam. Thus, as a researcher who occupies a critical space between basic science and direct application to social and policy spheres, he tries to promote continual dialogue between researchers and policy professionals on environmental management and climate issues. CP’s writings and public lectures link the understanding of various natural phenomena with the socio-economic dimensions of vulnerability and exposure, particularly in a world of increasing population density, migration and anthropogenic climate change. His efforts to reach out to policymakers to amend legislation for the protection of geo-heritage sites and eco-sensitive areas have often found their marks. The Government of India has honored him with the Ramanujan Fellowship for research and the National Geoscience Award for excellence in geoscience research.