Emeritus Fellow

Prof.Dr.Madhav Gadgil

M adhav Gadgil was born amidst the hills of Western Ghats and from an early age was fascinated by its rich natural and cultural heritage. He held State Junior and Pune University High Jump records; these outdoor interests are at the root of his life-long, vigorous pursuit of ecological field work. He was educated in Pune, Mumbai and Harvard University and was the first biology student at Harvard to receive a Ph.D. degree for a thesis based on mathematical modeling. This also won him the IBM Fellowship of Harvard Computing Center. For 31 years he was on the faculty of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru where he established the Center for Ecological Sciences. He has served as a Lecturer on Biology at Harvard and a Visiting Professor at Stanford Universities. His scientific interests focus on ecology and evolutionary biology, conservation biology, human ecology, natural resource management and ecological history. He has served on various policy making bodies including the Committee that advised on establishment of a Ministry of Environment by Government of India, Silent Valley Hydel Project Appraisal Committee, Science Advisory Council to PM, Karnataka State Planning Board, National Advisory Council and Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. He is a recipient of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, Vikram Sarabhai Award, Harvard’s Centennial medal, Volvo Environment Prize, Tyler Award for Environmental Achievement, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and Padma Bhushan. Prof. Gadhav Gadgil is currently the Emeritus Fellow at TIES, since January 2021