0364 2307930 - 2221
0364 2307930 - 6221(R)
9436303990
arshuma@nehu.ac.in; arshuma@yahoo.com
Designation: Professor
Department: Botany
M.Sc., M.Phil. (CW), PGDTACP, Ph.D.
33 years Research Experience, 20 years Teaching Experience
Awards
Ph.D. Awarded/Supervised: Awarded Seven; Underway Six
Administrative responsibilities undertaken:
Academic affiliations : Visiting Scholar/trainee at University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA (1996), Clark University, USA (2003), Concordia University, Canada (2011), ICIMOD, Nepal (2010), XTBG, Yunnan (2018), Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UK (2019)
Papers presented in Conferences/Seminars: Over one hundred
Any other: Coordinator of DBT-sponsored project on Mapping Biodiversity in Northeast India during 2006-2010.
Brief Profile
Dr. Uma Shankar (fondly known as “agrawal-ji”) is a faculty of Botany (currently as Professor since 2009) at the Department of Botany, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong since 2001-02. He has taught courses on Plant Ecology, Ecosystem Analysis, Biodiversity and Phytogeography, Plant Taxonomy and Economic Botany, Gymnosperms and Plant Anatomy, Plant Breeding and Biostatistics in M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree programmes.
Prior to joining NEHU, Dr. Shankar has served Tata Energy Research Institute (1992-97), and the G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development (1997-2002) for nearly five years each. He has conducted research at the George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University, USA for six months in 2003, and Concordia University, Canada for six months in 2011, XTBG, Yunnan, China for four weeks in 2018. He has also visited ICIMOD, Nepal, Institute of Botany, Beijing, and University of Oxford, UK on various assignments.
Dr. Shankar has executed a number of research projects and guided seven students for Ph.D. degree (six are underway) and over 50 students for M.Sc. project dissertation. He has been hosting and guiding Science Academies’ Summer Research Fellows. He is also a Coordinator from NEHU for IIRS Outreach Programmes on Remote Sensing and GIS.
Dr. Shankar is the first recipient of the INSA Young Scientist Award in 1999 from Northeast India. He is also the first recipient of the CSTUP Young Scientist Award in 2002 from Northeast India. Dr. Shankar has been elected as the Fellow of the National Institute of Ecology (FNIE), New Delhi, Fellow of the International Society of Environmental Botanists (FISEB), CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow and Fellow of the East Himalayan Society of Spermatophyte Taxonomists (FEHSST). He has been Honorary Fellow of the ATREE, Bangalore for a term of three years. Dr. Shankar has served as a member of AICOPTAX Committee of MoEFCC, member of RAC of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, and a number of evaluation committees of the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi. Dr. Shankar is equipped with enormous travel experience in India and abroad. He has been awarded prestigious research fellowships under DST’S BOYSCAST Programme, DBT’s Overseas Associate Programme and INSA’s Bilateral Exchange Programme. Dr. Shankar also has the distinction of being chosen for the Academic Leadership Development Programme (LEAP) in 2019 under the auspices of the NIEPA, New Delhi and the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UK.
Dr. Shankar has over 80 research publications to his credit besides one authored book, one edited book, one special issue of a journal and two abstract booklets. He has been cited nearly 1600 times. He commands H index of 20, i-10 index of 27 and sum of impact factor 52 until April, 2020. Prof. Shankar is a life member of several scientific societies in the country.
In quest of the degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) and as a result of massive input of energy and time, Dr. Shankar has brought out the first-ever enumeration of flowering plants of Northeast India and remarkably counted over 11,000 native and non-native species in one single volume, which accounts for more than one-half of total angiosperm diversity of India. He is expanding this work further.
Dr. Shankar’s students of M.Sc., Ph.D. and projects are working in the ranks of scientist, faculty (assistant professor, associate professor, and professor) and entrepreneur in national research institutions (CSIR Labs, ICAR, GBPIHED, NEIST), central universities, state universities and private universities. Several students are serving in different department of the state governments in various capacities. Many students are pursuing doctoral research in different institutions.
Dr. Shankar’s profile can be accessed at
2024, North-Eastern Hill University
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