EDUCATION
2016 PhD, Ecology, Earth System Science Program, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
2007 MSc, Biodiversity & Taxonomy, University of Pune
2005 BSc, Microbiology, University of Pune
POSITIONS HELD
2023-current Affiliate Scientist, Indo-French Cell for Water Sciences, IISc, Bangalore
2019-current Affiliate Scientist, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, MD, USA
2022-2024 Staff Scientist, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Lab, NM, USA
2019-2022 Postdoctoral Scientist, Los Alamos National Lab, NM, USA
2016-2019 Postdoctoral Scientist, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, MD, USA
2016 Research Associate, Divecha Center for Climate Change, IISc, Bangalore
2014-2016 Research Assistant, Indo-French Cell for Water Sciences, IISc, Bangalore
2012-2014 Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore
2007-2012 Junior Research Fellow, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore
2009 Visiting Scholar, Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de l’environnement, France
2009 Visiting Scholar, Laboratoire Géosciences Environnement, Toulouse, France
GRANTS
2023 PI. “Building SEFA: A Spatially Explicit FATES Algorithm for Forest Management Needs”. Information Science & Technology Institute, Los Alamos National Lab, NM, Rapid Response Competitive Grants. ($60,000)
2020-2024 Co-PI. US DOE’s flagship project: the Next-Generation Environmental Experiments-Tropics. (~$700,000/yr)
2020 PI. “Routes to water: Uncovering belowground drought strategies of a coastal forest.” Center for Space and Earth Science, Los Alamos National Lab, NM, Rapid Response Competitive Grants. ($27,500)
2007-2012 PI. Graduate Research Grant. Council for Industrial and Scientific Research, India. (Rs. 120,000)
FELLOWSHIPS
2016 Newton International Postdoctoral Fellowship, British Academy and the Royal Society, UK (Awarded, but declined)
2007 Full Graduate Research Scholarship, Council for Industrial and Scientific Research, India
2009 Graduate Research Fellowship, Embassy of France, India
2006 Summer Research Fellowship, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India
HONORS & AWARDS
International
2018 Harper Prize, for “Best paper by an Early Career Researcher in Journal of Ecology”, British Ecological Society
2014-2018 Analytical Workshop Travel Grants, Smithsonian Forest Global Observatory. Five-time Recipient.
National
2016 Shivarama Karanth Exceptional Talk Award, Student Conference on Conservation Science, Bangalore
2014 Shivarama Karanth Exceptional Poster Award, Student Conference on Conservation Science, Bangalore
2012 International Conference Travel Award, Council for Industrial and Scientific Research, India
Institutional
2021 Outstanding Presentation at “Science in 3” minutes, a LANL postdocs’ showcase in a lab-wide event, Los Alamos National Lab, NM, USA
2021 SPOT Award for “Outstanding service to Geoscientists United for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity”, Los Alamos National Lab, NM, USA
Rutuja Chitra-Tarak 