Spotlight On: Associate Editor Punyasloke Bhadury
Lithosphere, published by GeoScienceWorld in collaboration with five international societies, is a leading open access journal in the geosciences. Published by the community, for the community, Lithosphere is a trusted option for researchers to publish their scientifically rigorous results in an environment than encourages cooperation and accelerates discovery.
Lithosphere's editorial board is built from participating society nominations and spans 17 countries, reflecting the journal's global footprint. Under the journal’s distributed editorship model, each Section Editor oversees one of the many geoscience subdisciplines covered by the journal’s expansive scope. Associate Editors run peer review in their area of expertise. Editorial Advisors help with content strategy.
We recently spoke with one of our Associate Editors Punyasloke Bhadury who is currently a Professor of Biological Sciences at IISER Kolkata in India.
Can you tell us about yourself and your work?
I am trained as a biogeochemist focusing on understanding the intricacies of coastal biogeochemical cycling such as carbon and nitrogen which play important role in shaping regional and global climate processes. My work provides a unique opportunity to form a nexus between science, communities and policy to bridge global sustainability. As a Professor of Biological Sciences at IISER Kolkata in India, I have played a key role in establishing a truly interdisciplinary centre, Centre for Climate and Environmental Sciences that bridges the science of earth science for societal development.
Can you describe your early experiences and influences that led you to pursue a career in Earth Sciences?
I vividly remember the role of many my mentors starting from undergraduate to postdoctoral levels who have helped shaped where I am at present. In the early days while pursuing undergraduate studies, National Geographic Magazine immensely influenced me and generated curiosity to know about ocean, biodiversity and climate. All these cumulatively, helped me to pursue a career in Earth Sciences. I was quite lucky to have worked along both the coasts of Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Arctic Ocean over the years. I was fortunate to lead India’s first winter expedition to the Norwegian Arctic way back in 2010.
What is the most interesting project you have worked on?
There are so many projects which I have led, worked and contributed for more than two decades. One of the most interesting projects have been the establishment of a dedicated ecological time series program (Sundarbans Biological Observatory Time Series) in Sundarbans (West Bengal, India), the world’s largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a RAMSAR Site. SBOTS is possibly the world’s only dedicated mangrove ecological time series that aims to understand the long-term effects of climate change, rise in sea level on endemic biodiversity and most importantly consequences for more than 200 million people who are completed dependent on this ecosystem spreads across 5 countries.
In recent years, understanding the long-term negative impacts of ocean acidification on local communities, biodiversity and most importantly on regional climate processes have become key highlights of the SBOTS program that I lead. As a biogeochemist, each and every project that I work on contribute towards strengthening the nexus between science, communities and policy.
What does your role as an Associate Editor for Lithosphere include?
As an Associate Editor (AE) for Lithosphere, I get actively involved in editorial decision-making process of submitted manuscripts including undertaking peer-review of manuscripts. In the capacity of AE, I also contribute towards thematic oriented special issues those fall within the scope of Lithosphere.
Has being a part of Lithosphere impacted you in any way?
In Global South, across many countries, there are talented earth system scientists who are either early career researchers (ECRs) or early career scientists. I have communicated the scope of Lithosphere journal to many of the ECRs and uniqueness of this journal in terms of sharing knowledge through truly open access as well as community driven initiatives. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction that as one of the EB members of Lithosphere, I have managed to reach to many so many promising ECRs spread across LDC countries and the importance of this journal in bridging Global North with Global South.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
In 2025, with the Lithosphere EB team, I will explore organizing dedicated webinars as well as in person participation in conferences that can lead to capacity development of ECRs from parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America towards writing high quality manuscripts targeted for Lithosphere.
You can visit Professor Punyasloke Bhadury's university page and learn more here.