Speakers

Dr. Guy Jacobs is an Assistant Professor in Human Evolutionary Genetics and Bioinformatics, at the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. His field of expertise includes human evolutionary genetics, social behaviour, genetic diversity, non-human genetics and the microbiome and population genetics to understand human evolutionary history, including adaptation, genetic demography and archaic introgression. He is actively involved in the study of large-scale patterns of genetic variation that are affected by migration and kinship practices. He combines modelling and simulation with information from human genetics and other sources (linguistics, movement ecology, ancient DNA, domesticate genetics and the microbiome) to better understand these processes. More... 

Dr. Jennifer Bates is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Archaeology and Art History, Seoul National University, South Korea. She specializes in the field of archaeobotanical (macro and micro) remains to explore the broader social, cultural and environmental contexts with a focus on South Asian prehistory. She was awarded a PhD from the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge and worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, Brown University and the Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, in the Penn Paleoecology Lab.  Dr Bates has previously worked on the Indus urbanization and de-urbanization in northern India. She led the Indus Borders project at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge. Presently she is working on cultural and environmental contexts of societies through charred, mineralised and waterlogged macroscopic plant remains and phytoliths. More...

Dr. Maanasa Raghavan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago IL, USA. Her research expertise involves multiple disciplines of sciences, including Population Genetics/ Genomics, and Archaeology. She has completed her master's in from Oxford, United Kingdom in Archaeological Sciences and PhD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She has been awarded Neubauer Family Assistant Professors Program at the University of Chicago and currently holds the position of Assistant Professor. She has published various articles in Nature and Science, out of which the more cited article is Ancient human genome sequences of an extinct Palaeo-Eskimo. More...

Dr. Zuzana Hofmanova is the Group Leader of the Genetic History Group at the Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Her research expertise lies in Bioinformatic Tools, Population Genetics, Ancient DNA, Biostatistics, Phylogenetic Analysis and Human Evolution. In 2021 she established the Ancient DNA Research Team at Masaryk University in Brno primarily funded by EXPRO grant FORMOR. More...

Dr. Vandana Prasad is serving Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow as Director. Her field of research includes evolutionary biology (early history of grasses), high resolution biostratigraphy, biotic turnover, paleoenvironment and relative sea level change during Late Cretaceous-early Palaeogene (Dinoflagellate cysts, Palynofacies), quaternary palaeoclimatic studies using Dinoflagellate cysts, Palynofacies and Phytolith proxies. She is visiting Scientist in Institute of Geology, University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France. More...

Prof. Kumarasamy Thangaraj is Principle Scientist at CSIR CCMB and Director at CDFD, Hyderabad. His major research expertise lies in the field of human origin, health and disease and in understanding the complex origin and affinities of Indian populations, using the genomics variations of contemporary populations and ancient biological remains. He along with his collaborators has discovered the enigmatic tribal populations of the Andaman Islands are the first modern humans who migrated out of Africa through the southern coastal route about 65,000 years ago (Science, 2005). Subsequently, he along with collaborators found that the present-day Indian populations descend from two diverse groups; namely, Ancestral South Indians (ASI) and Ancestral North Indians (ANI). Further, we found that the ASI and ANI have been admixed during the past 2000 - 4000 years; followed by strict endogamy leading to population-specific recessive disease, due to founder events. More...

Prof. Ravi Korisettar is UGC Emeritus Fellow in the Department of History and Archaeology at Karnataka University. His research expertise lies in Lithic Technology, Archaeology, Sedimentology, Paleontology, Radiocarbon Dating, Environmental Archaeology, and Prehistoric Archaeology. Dr Korisettar is a key contributor to Indian Palaeolithic archaeology, specialising in geoarchaeological methods and approaches to understanding the relationship between prehistoric humans and their environments. He has published seven books in India and two abroad and is a Section Editor for Current Science, India’s leading science fortnightly journal. Dr Korisettar has also held the position of Honorary Director of the Robert Bruce Foote Sanganakallu Archaeological Museum in Karnataka since its establishment in 2010. More...

Prof. Pramod Joglekar is a Guest Professor, Humanities & Social Sciences at IIT Gandhinagar and a Former Professor at Deccan College, Pune. His research expertise lies in the History of Science and Technology, Archaeological Science, Human, Plant and Animal interactions in the past, Biomolecular Archaeology and Science and Society. He has carried out research analyses of faunal material and on-site examination of faunal remains: Palaeolithic sites: Ellora (Maharashtra), Kalpi (Uttar Pradesh), Mesolithic sites: Damdama, Sarai- Nahar Rai and Mahadaha (U.P.) and many Harappan sites with numerable exploration and excavations nationally and internationally. More...

Dr. Swarkar Sharma is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Centre for Molecular Biology at Central University of Jammu. Dr. Swarkar Sharma is a Ph.D. from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and a Postdoctoral fellow from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Dallas, Texas, USA. His specialization lies in the field of Human Genetics. His research work focuses towards understanding the ancestral migration history and population structure of Population of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has undertaken research challenges targeting rare genetic disorders not yet characterised or with very less information due to limited clinical resources and the unique population structure in the region. In addition, working on better understanding genetics of complex disorders like Diabetes and Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in the Population of Jammu and Kashmir, India. More...

Dr. Sonam Spalzin is a reputed ASI Archaeologist based in Ladakh, India. She is an expert in Archaeological studies right from the pre-historic to the historic period, Dr. Spalzin, who works with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has been part of more than a dozen excavations. She was part of the five-member team that carried out excavation works at the highest point ever. She is also an expert on Buddhism and studies the origins of the faith in Ladakh. Her work with the Excavation in Karakoram showed that the adjoining areas of Tibet and China had a cultural relationship in the past, at least from the Holocene period onwards. More...

Dr. VN Prabhakar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Gandhinagar. His research expertise lies in the Archaeology of protohistorical India, Harappan archaeology and Scientific techniques applied to archaeology. Dr. Prabhakar directed excavations at the Harappan sites of Rupnagar (2011-12) and Karanpura (2012-13 and 2013-14), and the medieval site of Daulatabad (2010), besides participating in excavations at Mehtab Bagh, Madarpur, Fatehpur Sikri, Sanauli (all four in Uttar Pradesh), Ellora (Maharashtra) and Kashipur (Uttarakhand). Using the multidisciplinary approach, he conducted metallurgical investigations of copper hoard specimens (from Madarpur), stable isotopic studies of human tooth enamel (from Sanauli), a study of Ernestine drill bits (from Dholavira, Gujarat, and Karanpura, Rajasthan) and palaeoclimatic investigations (at Karanpura). More...

Dr. Pradeep Srivastava is an Associate professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. His research expertise lies in Quaternary Geology, Sedimentology, Luminescence Dating, Neotectonics and Paleoclimate. Dr Srivastava has been awarded multiple honours such as Anni Talwani Medal, Indian Geophysical Union-2019,  National Geoscience Award-2011, Ministry of Mines, Govt of India, M.S. Krishnan Gold Medal-2011 by Indian Geophysical Union, S.S. Merh Award (2010) of the Geological Society of India for excellence in Quaternary Research. More...

Prof. K.P. Rao is a Professor in the Department of History, University of Hyderabad. He specialises in the field of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology. He teaches Ancient History, Field Archaeology, Pre and Proto historic culture-related papers. He has more than 31 years of University Teaching experience. He is an active field archaeologist and conducts archaeological explorations and excavations regularly. His research interest includes megalithic culture, ancient trade, Buddhist art, prehistoric cultures and GIS. Before joining the University services, he has served in the Archaeological Survey of India (1987 – 1989) and has been appointed as the Director of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Andhra Pradesh (2013). More...

Dr. Mohammed S. Mustak is currently working as Professor and Chairman in the Department  of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, Karnataka, India. After his PhD degree in CFTRI- Mysore, he continued his Post doctoral Research  at Graduate School of Medical Sciences - Tottori University, Yonago, Japan. Dr. Mustak’s specialisation is on population and evolutionary genetics. His area of research interest are to solve the debatable question such as the historic civilisation of south west of India focusing on settlement pattern and genetic structure of the modern human population of Lakshadweep islands , Kerala  and Karantaka. He is interested in exploring the Molecular basis of cardiovascular diseases, Genetic variations and susceptibility /resistance to infectious diseases. He also studies the Origin and affinities of modern humans from a South Asian perspective. His research is not only limited to humans but also involves understanding Molecular phylogeny of cone snails, butterfly and spider species and the Molecular mechanism of ER stress in neuronal and glial cells.  His team works on the Neuroprotective effect of natural peptides and compounds on neuronal and glial cells. He also deals with the identification and characterization of natural peptides from conotoxin of cone snails of Lakshadweep Islands. More...

Dr. Pankaj Goyal is a Scientific Assistant, at the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Deccan College. He has worked on the faunal remains from the Harappan site of Kanmer for his doctoral degree and has studied material from several other sites in Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. His research area includes various aspects of human-animal interactions in the past, the spread of animals and their cultural affinities, and the history of science and technology. He has made contributions to the fields of Archaeozoology, Human-Animal relationships, the Himalayan Medicinal System, the Hydraulic Structures of Uttarakhand and Traditional Knowledge Systems. He has also contributed a number of articles related to the History of Indian Science and Technology for the website www.indianscience.org and has published 40 research papers so far. Additionally, he has published two books entitled Animal-based Subsistence of the Harappan Culture of Gujarat with Special Reference to Kanmer and Animal Husbandry and Allied Technologies in Ancient India. His second book was published with Prof. P.P. Joglekar as a co-author. He is an assistant editor for ‘Man and Environment’ - an International Journal. More...

Dr. Fonia was born and brought up in the lap of the Himalayas with mornings in Chamoli, Garhwal, India.  His natal brush with nature inspired him to do his doctorate in socio-economic and cultural studies of the Himalayas.  Dr. Fonia is well known for his research work in the Himalayas. Presently, serving as Joint Director General in the Archaeological Survey of India.  Before this, he held important positions in the Archaeological Survey of India as Director of various sections including the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, World Heritage, Exploration and Excavation, Antiquities and Competent Authority of National Monument Authority.  He also worked as a Member Secretary of the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology, Ministry of Culture, National Screening and Evaluation Committee for Antiquities, Government of India.  Dr. Fonia has represented India at International Conferences and meetings. His most popular books are Monuments of Lucknow, Exploring The Himalayas, 1857 Memorial Museum: Residency: Lucknow, and Excavation at Burzahom. More...

Dr. BR Mani has been a renowned field archaeologist, numismatist and art critic, and has also served as Additional Director General in the ASI, India Since then he has been involved in the conservation of monuments in Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. He had over four decades of experience in administration, research and teaching in public service. He has discovered a large number of archaeological sites in these places besides also in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana during his explorations. He has directed more than 14 excavation projects in the country, some of which are Lal Kot (Delhi), Salimgarh (Delhi), Muhammad Nagar and Harnol (Haryana), Siswania, Sankisa, Ayodhya, Lathiya (UP) and Kanispur and Ambaran (J&K). He is a member of various national and international organizations in the field and has widely travelled to European and Asian countries in international seminars and conferences. He has four books and about 170 research papers to his credit. More...

Dr. Jayanta Kumar Nayak is a Professor and HOD in the Department of Anthropology at the Central University of Orissa, India. His research expertise lies in the field of Molecular Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Developmental Anthropology, Nutritional Anthropology, Bio-cultural Study, and Tribal Studies. Dr. Nayak has published so many research papers with objectives to sketch the perspectives i.e. screening for particular disease traits and health-seeking behaviour among the tribal population of Orissa and Qualitative Phytochemical Screening of Ethno-medicinal Plants. More...

Dr. Firoze Quamar is a Scientist ‘D’ at Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, India. His research expertise includes studies on the vegetation dynamics and climate change from the central Indian core monsoon zone (CMZ) during the late Quaternary/Holocene Epoch, based on pollen records. His research work has proven valuable insights into the beginning of cereal-based agricultural practices and the transition from a hunting and gathering to a sedentary and food-producing way of life. More...

Dr. Vikas Kumar Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of AIHC & Archaeology, BHU, Varanasi. His research expertise lies in Cultural Studies, Arts and Humanities, Historical Analysis, Ancient History and Cultural Heritage. His field of specialization is Archaeology, History of Science & Technology and Ancient Indian Political History. He was awarded BHU Gold Medal & Govt. Of India National Scholarship for standing first in UG Exam (AIHC & Arch., BHU) and standing first in PG Exam (AIHC & Arch., BHU). He has one book and about twenty research papers in reputed journals to his credit. Besides, he has participated in various International & National Seminars & Conferences and recently, he has been deputed by the University to attend 24th International Conference of the European Association for South Asian Archaeology and Art (EASAA) in Naples, Italy. Presently, he is running a research project awarded by the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, entitled “Pathways and Highways of the Karmanasa Valley with special reference to its Archaeology and Ancient Routes”. Apart from teaching and research, he is engaged in field archaeology and conducted an excavation at Sakas, Sasaram (Bihar) in 2019.  More...

Dr. Ekta Singh is working as an Assistant Professor at Chitrakoot School of Liberal Arts and Ancient Indian Wisdom, Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. She completed her MA from I.P College for Women, Delhi University. She received her Ph.D. degree with a thesis entitled “Archaeology of Spiti Valley (From the earliest time to 9th century CE)” from Garhwali university.  Her research interest is focused on exploring Himalayan Archaeology, Trans-Himalayan Trade and Migration. She also specializes in studies of Prehistory, burial and Death Archaeology, Rock Art, Lithic studies and Landscape studies. Her keen interest is in investigating Experimental archaeology, Ethnoarchaeology, Folklore and Culture. She has conducted various research on understanding Cultural diffusion, Traditional knowledge systems Art and Architecture, Social Anthropology, the History of the Himalayas, and Ancient Indian History.  More...

Dr. Mumtaz A Yatoo is currently working as Assistant Professor of Archaeology at Centre of Central Asian Studies, University of Kashmir, Srinagar. He has completed his doctoral Studies on Characterising material culture to determine settlement patterns in north west Kashmir at University of Leicester, U.K. His research interest includes Prehistoric Archaeology, Material Culture, Landscape & Settlement Patterns. More...

Dr. Umesh Kumar is currently working as Senior Ecologist at Anthropological Survey of India in Kolkata. Dr Umesh joined the Anthropological Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre as Human Ecologist and has successfully completed 12 different national projects under the Anthropological Survey of India. A few of his important achievements of Dr Kumar include the publication of more than 20 research papers in different journals and edited volumes. He also has two edited books to his credit and is the Managing Editor for the Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India since 2014.   More...

Dr. Deepti Agnihotri is working as Assistant Superintendent Archaeologist (Exploration and Excavation) in Archeolocial Survey of India.

Dr. D.P. Tewari is a Professor at the Department of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, Lucknow University, Lucknow, U.P., India. He was Vice-Chancellor at Veer Kunwar Singh University, Aara, Bihar. His region of interest is particularly South- Asia. He has worked on Antiquarian remains from Kalli Pachchhim Excavations in Lucknow, excavations at Charda, Pirvatini Sarif Trilokpur, Madanpur, Saunphari and Explorations in Ganga Plain. He completed his Ph.D. from the University of Allahabad in ‘Position of Widows in Ancient India from earliest times to 1200 AD’.  More...

Dr. Anjali Trivedi is working at BSIP as Scientist E. She works on Quaternary palaeo-vegetation and palaeoclimatic studies on Gangetic Plain, based largely on pollen and other proxies such as geochemical, sediment texture etc. retrieved especially from the lakes lying close to ancient settlement sites. She specializes in Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of Quaternary Palaeovegetation and Palaeoclimate and Melittopalynology and their applications. She also has expertise in the impact of climate change in past climates, Human habitation and agriculture in the Holocene.  More...

Dr. Rabindra Nath Singh is a Professor in the Department of AIHC & Archaeology, BHU, Varanasi. His specialization lies in the Field of Archaeology, Archaeological Sciences especially Metals & Glass. He is a recipient of five international fellowships including UGC’s Indo-Soviet Cultural Exchange Fellowship,1986-87 (Moscow), The Nehru Trust Fellowship, 1994-95 (London), The Royal Society/INSA Fellowship, 2000-2001 (Cambridge), Smuts Commonwealth Fellowship, 2009-2010 (Cambridge) and Cambridge-Hamied Fellowship, 2019 (Cambridge). Dr. Singh has visited several countries for Seminars/Training including the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, USSR, France, China, Israel, Norway, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Belgium, Romania, etc. In addition to three monographs, more than Two Hundred research papers published in National & International journals. He is also Chief Editor of Mānavakῑ- A Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences and a Member of the Editorial Board of the Departmental Journal Bhāratῑ. Besides, his interest in archaeological sciences, he has regularly been active in Field Archaeology also and worked on archaeological geography. In addition to several exploration works, he directed Excavations at Semar Sadhopur, Alamgirpur, Bulandkhera (Uttar Pradesh); Masudpur, Bahola, Burj, Khanak, Lohari Ragho (Haryana); Dabli Vas Chugta and Ganeshwar (Rajasthan). He has been engaged in Collaborative Projects in Archaeology with the University of Cambridge since 2007 including UK India Education and Research Initiative-UKIERI (2007-2012), The British Academy (2012-2015), European Research Council (2015-2020) and DST-UKIERI (British Council) (2017-2020). Prof. Singh has been a member of academic bodies in India and abroad including Hon’ble Research Associate McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. Prof. Singh has also worked as Deputy Coordinator, CAS Programme of the Department and also Indian Cultural Studies Centre, BHU. More...