Dr. Prakash Rao

Dr. Prakash Rao is Former Professor and Head, Symbiosis Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability, Symbiosis International University, Pune. He started his career as an ornithologist with the Bombay Natural History Society and has diverse interests in climate change, energy and natural resource management research and policy advocacy. He has worked on several interdisciplinary conservation-oriented projects combining natural resources, biodiversity and climate change across key ecosystems like the Himalayas, Sundarbans and other vulnerable ecosystems. He has contributed to the Academic discourse and published around 90 research papers, notes and book chapters in peer reviewed international journals and books and undertaken consultancies on environmental resource management. He is also the Deputy Editor of the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology. Dr Rao has published four books including a publication on ‘Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Developing Nations’ with IGI Global Publishers, USA.

He is passionate in driving environmental sustainability in higher education with a special focus on climate education. Under his guidance four doctoral candidates have received their doctoral degrees in energy, environment and sustainability related domain areas. His current research interest include interdisciplinary research at the intersection of climate change, ecosystems, water and health.  He is also involved in research centered around climate and urbanisation, sustainable urban mobility, climate risk assessments for industry, ESG reporting, climate finance, campus carbon neutrality etc. He recently coordinated a sustainability certification project for the Symbiosis International University to operationalise campus driven sustainability efforts through the 2000Watt Smart Cities Label, Switzerland which enabled the University to be the first Indian University to receive this prestigious certification.