Dr. Ravichandran

Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)

Dr. M. Ravichandran has been serving as the Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) since October 2021.
He earned his Ph.D. in Physics and has had a career spanning various institutions of MoES and with different roles. Initially, he worked as a Scientist in the field of Atmospheric Science at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, from 1988 to 1997. His expertise then extended to the realm of Ocean Technology at the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, where he contributed significantly to the Ocean Observing System from 1997 to 2001. Furthering his contributions to the field of Physical Oceanography, both in observation and modelling, Dr. Ravichandran was associated with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, from 2001 to 2016. Before assuming his role as the Secretary, MoES, he was the Director of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa from 2016 to 2021. Dr. Ravichandran's areas of interest are diverse and include Atmospheric Physics, Ocean Dynamics, Ocean Observing Systems, Ocean Modelling, and Polar Sciences. He has published over 160 research publications in refereed journals and authored four book chapters, earning him more than 7600 citations on Google Scholar.

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Ravichandran has held several prominent positions in both national and international committees and organizations. He was the Co-Chair of the Indian Ocean panel of GOOS/CLIVAR from 2012 to 2016, a member of the International Argo Steering Team from 2005 to 2016, and a member of the scientific Steering Committee of SIBER (Sustained Indian Ocean Biogeochemical and Ecological Research) from 2010 to 2016. Moreover, he served as an Ocean Expert for the WMO/IOC Capacity Building and has been involved with various committees under DST, MoES, CSIR, and IISER. His contributions to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) of the International Science Council as Vice-President from 2018 to 2022, his membership in the Scientific Steering Group (SSG) of the WCRP of WMO, and his role as a Council Member of the International Arctic Science committee (IASC) until 2022, underscore his significant impact on global climate research initiatives. Dr. Ravichandran has been recognized with numerous awards for his contributions to the field of Earth Sciences, including a National Award in Ocean Sciences, the Dr. Srinivasan Endowment Award, and the Dr. S Z Qazim Award for excellence in marine sciences. Moreover, he is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (NASI) and the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), Member of the Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Sciences, Fellow of India Meteorological Society, President of Ocean Society of India (2020 to 2022), President of Indian Geophysical Union, celebrating his contributions to science and engineering. He is also editor of Pure and Applied Geophysics (Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences). .