Dr. Shailesh Nayak currently serves as the Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru and the Chancellor of the TERI School of Advanced Studies in Delhi. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing and a Life Trustee of the India International Centre in New Delhi. Previously, Dr. Nayak was the Chair of the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO) and Secretary to the Government of India for the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) from August 2008 to 2015. During this time, he provided leadership for programs related to climate change, weather services, polar science, geoscience, ocean science and modeling, ocean surveys, resources, and technology. His current research interests include building strategies for the blue economy, sustainable development, and science diplomacy. Dr. Nayak earned a Ph.D. in Geology from the M.S University of Baroda in 1980 and joined the Space Applications Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1978 as a scientist. He later became the Director of Marine and Water Resources. Dr. Nayak was responsible for conceptualizing, formulating, and executing many national-level projects related to applying satellite data on ocean color, integrated coastal zone management, snow and glacier studies, and water resources. In May 2006, he was appointed Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), where he set up a state-of-the-art Early Warning System for Tsunami and Storm Surges in the Indian Ocean and developed Marine GIS. He has significantly contributed to improving advisory services related to potential fishing zones, ocean state forecasts, and the Indian Argo project. Dr. Nayak is a Member of the Governing Board of the Indian Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (In-Space), Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand, and National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Zone Management, Chennai. Dr. Nayak has chaired several committees, including the National Blue Flag Committee and Research Advisory Committee of ESSO-National Antarctic and Ocean Research Centre, Goa, among others. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, India, the International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), and an Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics, Paris. Dr. Nayak is the President of the Indian Mangrove Society. He has received honorary degrees from Andhra University, Assam University, and Amity University, as well as prestigious awards such as the IGU - Hari Narain Lifetime Achievement Award in Geosciences, ISCA Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award, and the Bhaskara Award by the Indian Society of Remote Sensing. In recognition of his contributions to science and engineering, the Government of India conferred the civilian honor 'Padma Shri' in 2024. He has published 190 papers in national and international journals and delivered about 200 invited talks in various forums.
