Meeting roles in:
Integrated Perspectives of Aerosol’s Origin, Properties, Deposition, and Impacts: Implications for Acid Rain, Radiative Forcing, Climate Change, Vegetation, Materials, and Public Health Poster
OBSERVATIONS OF NEW PARTICLE FORMATION AND FAVORABLE CONDITION AT A HIGH-ALTITUDE BACKGROUND LOCATION OF UTTARAKHAND, INDIA
Dr. Alok Sagar Gautam, serving as an Professor in the Department of Physics at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (a Central University), Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India, is a distinguished academician and researcher widely recognized for his pioneering contributions in Atmospheric and Environmental Physics. His expertise spans lightning and weather forecasting, air pollution and its health impacts, cloud formation mechanisms and their influence on regional climate systems, continuous monitoring of Black Carbon (BC) aerosols over the Satopanth Glacier in the Central Himalayas, MAPAN (Modeling Air Pollution and Networking), and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning approaches for real-time weather forecasting—a domain of immense importance for Uttarakhand. Driven by a commitment to societal benefit, he continues to advance knowledge in these critical areas.

As a passionate learner and educator, Dr. Gautam integrates cutting-edge research with innovative pedagogy, substantially enriching the learning environment and motivating students to realize their full potential. He has also developed online teaching modules for SWAYAM at HNB Garhwal University on Computational Physics and has published works on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Sustainability Studies, which have been widely appreciated and remain in high demand.

As a result of his sustained efforts, Dr. Gautam has published more than 160 peer-reviewed publications, including 104 articles in reputed impact-factor journals such as Journal of Geophysical Research, Science of the Total Environment, and the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, with a cumulative impact factor exceeding 100. He has also contributed 32 book chapters and presented his research extensively at national and international conferences. He holds 17 patents, among which his innovation, the Multidirectional Ultraviolet-C Object Disinfector, proved highly valuable during the COVID-19 period. This device provides two distinct disinfection modes for daily-use products and food items, ensuring uniform and safe sterilization even for complex objects.

His academic leadership is evident through his multiple roles at HNB Garhwal University. Two candidates have successfully earned their Ph.D. degrees under his supervision, while two more are currently pursuing their doctoral research. In addition, he has supervised several M.Tech. scholars and guided over 60 Master’s dissertations. As Principal Investigator, he has completed major funded projects worth more than ₹2 crores and established the Himalayan Atmospheric and Space Physics Research Laboratory (HASPRL), which today provides state-of-the-art facilities for advanced research and student training.

Dr. Gautam has been honored with 15 awards, including the Junior Associateship from the Earth System Physics Division, International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy; the Young Scientist Award from the Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), DST, Government of India; and the Research Excellence Award from HNB Garhwal University. He is also a proud Expedition Member of the 28th Indian Scientific Expedition to the South Pole, Antarctica