Colorado State University Distinguished Professor A.R. Ravishankara, a professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Atmospheric Science, has been named a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), effective January 1, 2021.
Established in 1935, the INSA promotes science in India, harnessing scientific knowledge for the cause of humanity and national welfare. The INSA is comprised of scientists from all branches of science and technology. Currently, there are a total of 930 fellows and 94 foreign fellows.
Through his recent research specific to India, Ravishankara has been able to identify the effect of pollution on the community’s health in India – where it comes from, how it is harming India, and how it can be reduced. He has brought these findings to the scientific community as well as to the public.
A widely respected expert in the study of ozone, air quality, and climate change
Spanning 40 years, Ravishankara’s research has been on the chemistry of the Earth’s atmosphere related to stratospheric ozone depletion, climate change, and regional air quality. Since coming to CSU, he has worked on atmospheric modeling of air quality, with a major focus on India, and issues related to policy on climate and air quality. His contributions have also been significant in understanding ozone layer depletion.
When asked what this recognition meant to him, Ravishankara said, “it meant that our group’s research is now being recognized in India, the country where I was educated until I was 21.”
Born in Shimoga, India, Ravishankara received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of Mysore in Karnataka, India. He moved to the U.S. to pursue his Ph.D., which he received from the University of Florida at Gainesville.
Ravishankara is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences; a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in London; and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Ravishankara is also currently the chair of the Board on Atmospheric Science and Climate, a member of the Science Advisory Panel of the Climate Clean Air Coalition of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and chair of the Vienna Trust Fund of UNEP. He has served on many other national and international committees and is an author or coauthor of nearly 400 peer-reviewed publications.
