Prof. Jitendra Pandey | Climate Change | Distinguished Scientist Award
Professor | Banaras Hindu University | India
Prof. Jitendra Pandey is a distinguished Professor in the Environmental Science Division at the Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, India. With over three decades of research and teaching experience, he has become a leading authority in river ecology, environmental monitoring, sustainable agriculture, and water resource conservation. His pioneering work on the Ganga River and atmospheric deposition has contributed significantly to ecological sustainability and climate change understanding. He has supervised numerous doctoral and postgraduate students, led impactful research projects, and authored an extensive body of scientific publications, strengthening his reputation as a global environmental researcher.
Professional Profile
Education
Prof. Jitendra Pandey pursued his higher studies at Banaras Hindu University, where he earned both his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Environmental Science. His academic journey was driven by a deep interest in river ecosystems and environmental sustainability. During his research years, he received prestigious fellowships from the University Grants Commission and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. These formative experiences laid the foundation for his lifelong dedication to scientific inquiry, environmental monitoring, and conservation strategies. His strong academic training has equipped him to address complex challenges in river ecology, pollution assessment, and sustainable resource management.
Experience
Prof. Jitendra Pandey has accumulated rich academic and research experience, beginning as a Junior and Senior Research Fellow at Banaras Hindu University before serving as a Research Associate under CSIR. He worked as a Junior Scientific Officer at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow, before joining M.L. Sukhadia University, Udaipur, as Assistant Professor. He later returned to Banaras Hindu University, where he rose through positions as Reader, Associate Professor, and Professor. With over twenty-five years of teaching and more than thirty-three years of research experience, he has trained hundreds of students while leading impactful projects of national and global relevance.
Research Interests
Prof. Jitendra Pandey research interests span multiple interdisciplinary domains, including river ecology, water resource conservation, sustainable agriculture, and cross-domain carbon linkages. He has extensively studied the ecological functioning of the Ganga River, with a focus on nutrient cycling, carbon fluxes, and anthropogenic impacts on aquatic systems. His investigations also address air and water pollution, atmospheric deposition, and ecosystem responses to climate change. Additionally, his work explores the relationship between ecological health and food security. Through his studies, he emphasizes the integration of ecological principles with practical conservation and sustainable management strategies to mitigate human-induced environmental degradation.
Awards
Prof. Jitendra Pandey has received numerous national and international awards for his contributions to environmental science. His early recognition includes the prestigious “INTER Research Essay Grand Prize” (Japan) for a new hypothesis on ozone layer destruction. He later received the Ibaraki Kasumigaura Prize (Japan) for outstanding work in lake conservation. His accolades also include the World Green Award (INGP, New Delhi), the Twenty First Century Development Award, and the First Best Article Award by IMSA. Additionally, he earned research fellowships from UGC and CSIR and was fully sponsored to participate in the Planet under Pressure Conference at Oxford University, London.
Top Noted Publications
Title: Impact of DOC trends resulting from changing climatic extremes and atmospheric deposition chemistry on periphyton community of a freshwater tropical lake of India
Year: 2013
Cited by: 37
Title: Impact of changing atmospheric deposition chemistry on carbon and nutrient loading to Ganga River: integrating land–atmosphere–water components to uncover cross-domain carbon linkages
Year: 2014
Cited by: 76
Title: Alternative alert system for Ganga River eutrophication using alkaline phosphatase as a level determinant
Year: 2017
Cited by: 42
Title: An ecological response index for simultaneous prediction of eutrophication and metal pollution in large rivers
Year: 2019
Cited by: 46
Title: Benthic hypoxia in anthropogenically-impacted rivers provides positive feedback enhancing the level of bioavailable metals at sediment-water interface
Year: 2020
Cited by: 14