We are looking for prospective PhD students in the following areas for Spring 2024-25. Interested students are encouraged to email Karthikeyan at karthikl@iitb.ac.in. For more updates, please follow CSRE website and IITB admissions website.

1) Land-atmosphere interactions during dry extreme events [with Prof. Vishal Dixit]

Soil moisture has a significant role in influencing the feedback from the land surface. There is a growing literature that depicts its influence on the evolution of dry extreme events. This project deals with a thorough examination of soil moisture feedback using numerical weather model Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model simulations. Specifically, we would be interested to study the role of land using water and heat tracking schemes when extreme dry events and compound extremes get triggered. It is desirable for the candidates to have experience running the WRF model.

2) Sub-seasonal to seasonal agricultural drought prediction

Sub-seasonal to seasonal predictions are now the frontline research to ensure adequate time for planning and adaptation. There is limited effort that is made to carry out predictions at S2S scales (1-3 months ahead) in India. This work deals with developing models using machine learning or dynamical models to predict various aspects of droughts at S2S scales. Candidates with a good understanding of atmosphere processes and programming background are desirable for this project.