Faculty Profile

Dr Pulak Das holds a Bachelors Degree in Geology and Masters Degree in Ecology from Assam University, Silchar. His doctoral thesis looked into the biomonitoring and modeling of Air quality and other environmental stresses around industrial area, and the affect of these stresses on community ecology dynamics of lichens.

Dr Das also holds UGC-NET (2005) in Environmental Sciences.

Dr Das has taught in the department of Environmental Science, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) Amarkantak, during 2013-14; and in the department of Ecology in Assam University, Silchar during 2006-08.

Dr Das has an experience of over six years in Oil and Gas Exploration Industry as an Environment Consultant during 2006-2013. The core area of his work included environmental monitoring and management, EIA studies, Environmental Audit, Environmental laws and regulations, and Regulatory compliances.

Dr Das has visited Myanmar in 2012 upon invitation from Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE, Govt. of Myanmar) for EIA studies of an Oil and Gas Block in Myanmar. He was also involved in the Environmental auditing of oil production fields in Arunachal Pradesh during 2009-2010 organised by Director of Mines Safety – Guwahati region, North East India.

His broad research interests include Environmental monitoring and management, Land use and land cover studies using Remote sensing and GIS, Climate change and disaster management, Socio-economic vulnerabilities to natural disasters, and Sustainability studies with special reference to north east India.

Editor-in-Chief in International Journal of Environmental and Natural Sciences (IJENAS; www.ijenas.com)

Editorial-cum-Advisory Board Member in Current World Environment (CWE) (http://www.cwejournal.org/)

Editorial Board member in Greener Journal of Ecology and Ecosolution (www.gjournals.org)

Editorial Board member in Greener Journal of Environmental Management and Public Safety (www.gjournals.org)

Participated in ‘Consultation for preparation of the State Climate Change Action Plan’, organised by the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC), Guwahati, 17th December 2010.

Participated as Panelist in ‘Worldwide Save Loktak Campaign: Save Loktak, Sonbeel, and Chatla Wetland’, Organised by ENVIRON, Guwahati and NECEER, Manipur, India, 7th March 2010.

Undergone PG Diploma Course on Rural Development; Certificate courses on Disaster Management; Remote Sensing and GIS; Climate Change and Disaster Management; Comprehensive Natural Disaster Risk Management Framework; Environmental Impact Assessment; and Diploma in Computer Applications.

Associated with various Registered NGOs in North east India (People’s Science Society-PSS; GBKIE).

Dr Das has around 21 publications in various journals and some more are awaited. Some of his selected publications include-

• Das, P., Joshi, S., Rout, J., Upreti, D. K. 2013. Lichen diversity for environmental stress study: Application of index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP) and mapping around a paper mill in Barak Valley, Assam, northeast India. Tropical Ecology 54 (3): 353-362.
• Das, P., Joshi, S., Rout, J., Upreti, D. K. 2013. Impact of anthropogenic factors on abundance variability among lichen species in southern Assam, north east India. Tropical Ecology 54 (1): 67-72.
• Das, P. & Joshi, S. 2013. A remote sensing study for land cover change in south Assam, India. Earth Science India 6 (3): 136-146.
• Das, P. 2012. Study of Barak River Meander and Associated Hazard around Silchar Town, Assam, using Remote Sensing and GIS. Earth Science India 5(2): 51-59.
• Das, P. & Dey. N. B. 2011. Socio-economic vulnerability in a Flood affected village of Barak Valley, Assam, India. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Sciences 3(2): 110-123.
• Das, P. & Joshi, S. 2012. Erratic Rainfall Patterns and its Consequence in Barak Valley, Southern Assam, Northeast India. Envis Assam News Letter October_December: 2-7.
• Das, P. 2012. Meandering nature of Barak River in subtropical climate of Southern Assam, Northeast India-A Geospatial analysis. International Journal of Environmental Sciences 2 (4): 2129-2138.
• Das, P. 2012. Disaster management in India: Policy review and Institutional Structure. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Sciences 4(1): 37-52.
• Das, P. & Kushwaha. H. S. 2011. CBM: A clean energy option for India to address climate change issue. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Sciences SI (2): 11-20.
• Das, P. 2014. Environmental management in Oil and Gas upstream industry in India. Journal of Industrial Pollution Control 30 (1): 59-66.

Book Chapter

1. Das, P., Rout, J., Joshi, S., Upreti, D. K. 2014.”Community Metrices under Air pollution stress conditions” In Recent Advances in Lichenology, Vol- I, Publisher- Springer (Forthcoming)

Selected paper presentations in seminars/conferences

• National Seminar on ‘Land and Water Resources Management Systems in Central India’ Organised by Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak (MP); Forest Rights Act (FRA-2006) and its implementation in MP – A review, 14-15th March 2014.
• National Seminar on ‘Aspects of Ethno-Science and Traditional technology among the tribes of Central India’, Organised by Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, (MP); Environmental Factors influencing Tribal Technologies with special reference to Baigas of MP, 24-25 March 2014.
• International Conference on ‘GLO-CAL crisis and environmental governance in north-eastern region of India, Assam University, Silchar’; Waste management in oil and gas exploration industry in north east India; 2013.
• International Conference on ‘Vedanta Philosophy’, organised by Assam University, Silchar; Environmental Consciousness, Sustainable Development, Advaita Vedanta Philosophy- Three pillars of Environmental conservation in India; 21-24 November 2013.
• National Seminar on ‘Emerging Areas of research & development in Chemical and Physical sciences in north east India’; Department of Chemistry and Physics, Srikishan Sarda College, Hailakandi, Assam & Assam Science Society, Hailakandi, Assam; Produced water in CBM drilling: An Environmental issue and its Management; 2012.
• Fourth International Conference on ‘Plants & Environmental Pollution’, International Society of Environmental Botanists and National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (India); IAP and Kriging – A future prospect for use of lichen biomonitoring in Land use planning in India; 2010 (Poster).
• National Seminar on ‘Biodiversity Conservation (Forest and Land Resources Management)’; Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar; Conserving biodiversity-A way of living in India; 2010.
• National Seminar on ‘Biodiversity conservation: The Post-Rio Scenario in India’; Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar; Epiphytic lichen flora in Ecoforest of Assam University Campus, Silchar, Cachar District, Southern Assam, NE India; 2006.
• Third International Conference on ‘Plants & Environmental Pollution’, International Society of Environmental Botanists and National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (India); Occurrence and distribution of lichens in and around a paper industry (Panchgram) in southern Assam, NE India.; 2005 (Poster).
• 51st Annual Technical Session, Assam Science Society, Guwahati, Assam; Institute of Advanced Study in Science & Technology, Guwahati, Assam; An exploration of epiphytic lichens in reserve forest in Barak Valley, Southern Assam, north east India. 2006.