IASTA 2026

About the speaker

Chandra Venkataraman is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Centre for Climate Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. She applies her expertise in aerosol science to research at the intersection of technology and emissions, climate science, and air quality. Her research has resulted in over 150 widely cited publications, a book, and four patents.

She was the Founding Head of the Centre for Climate Studies at IIT Bombay, and collaboratively led the multi-institutional COALESCE network (ncapcoalesce.iitb.ac.in) and the PAVITRA group. She participates in policy networks globally, including the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Global Burden of Disease working group. She has extensively mentored research students and supported the advancement of women in STEM.

She is a fellow of the National Academies of Science and Engineering in India (INAE-2016, IASc-2018, INSA-2022) and The World Academy of Sciences (2025). Her recognitions include an IIT Delhi Distinguished Alumni Award (2024), a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship (2012), the PRL Vikram Sarabhai Award (2006), and teaching excellence awards at IIT Bombay.

About the speaker

Prof. Y.S. Mayya, formerly from BARC, is a visiting faculty in the department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay. He is an Aerosol Physicist engaged in studies on diverse aspects of fine particle science, its history and their technological applications for the past 51 years. He is associated with theoretical and experimental studies in the area of Electrospray air cleaner technology, aerosol charging, modelling of ionizer systems, plume coagulation, charged particle levitation, aerosol spray drying and transmission of diseases through aerosol route. His expertise includes radiation epidemiology, radiation safety, radon emission modelling and transport, nuclear aerosol behaviour and experimentation. He spear-headed the establishment of the first Nuclear Aerosol Test Facility in BARC, country-wide radon mapping project, and conceptualized the setting up of Outdoor Air Cleaning Systems in Delhi as a technological alternative for combating urban air pollution. He has authored 206 publications in refereed Journals and mentored generations of aerosol scientists during his long career at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

Prof. Y.S. Mayya was nominated an Aerosol Pioneer by American Association for Aerosol Research, in 2018. He was the President of the Asian Aerosol Research Assembly (2005-2007), member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Aerosol Science (2004-2014) and recipient of K.G. Vohra Memorial award (2018). He was conferred “IASTA Fellow” award in 2025.

Invited lecture

India’s construction and urban development sectors are experiencing remarkable growth, driven by population expansion, economic progress, and rapid urban migration. While this growth is essential to meet the rising demands for infrastructure and housing, it also places immense pressure on critical natural resources such as energy, water, land, and raw materials.

Indoor air is the focus of our group. Our lab has been working towards enhancing the indigenous capabilities within the country to develop inexpensive, portable and readily deployable aerosol measuring instruments like the PM₁ sampler (model: APM 577, Envirotech) and a high-volume PM_2.5 sampler (Airshed). Our group is currently working on devices to control air pollution both within challenging occupational settings and at the indoor receptor end. The presentation will provide a glimpse of these technologies from their conception to field deployment.

Biography

Prof. Tarun Gupta is The Pawan Tewari Goldman Sachs Sustainability Faculty Chair Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Kanpur. He completed his M.Sc. in Chemistry at IIT Roorkee and M.Tech. in Environmental Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay, and earned his doctorate in Environmental Health from Harvard University School of Public Health.

A submicron aerosol sampler he designed and developed was commercialized by Envirotech Instruments Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, as the PM₁ sampler (model APM 577). He also transferred technology to BARC, Mumbai, for retrofitting a high-volume PM₁₀ sampler into a high-volume PM_2.5 sampler at low additional cost; the technology was also transferred to Airshed, Kanpur. His two-stage bioaerosol sampler has been licensed to Airshed.

He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed international journal articles, edited 9 books, filed 10 Indian patents and 6 design patents, and supervised 17 PhD and 50 M.Tech. students. His awards include the INAE Young Engineer, INSA Medal for Young Scientist, NASI-Scopus Young Scientist, VNMM Award, and INAE Innovator and Entrepreneur Award. He has served as Head of Civil Engineering and Dean of Research and Development at IIT Kanpur.

Abstract

Atmospheric science has traveled a long path, from ozone sondes that collected point observations to multi-core, multi-year, three-dimensional meteorological and chemical transport models that now operate at scales ranging from urban to global. This progress did not happen overnight. A large community of scientists contributed collectively over decades, and their combined effort resolved many open questions about how meteorology and aerosol processes interact in the atmosphere. Despite this progress, knowledge gaps remain, and the field holds significant untapped potential, especially for the Indian Subcontinent. This presentation reviews advancements in atmospheric modeling, traces how the community built its current understanding between air quality and health, and highlights key research opportunities, emerging cross-disciplinary tools, that can move our collective effort forward and translate scientific and technical advances into better air quality outcomes.

Biography

Dr. Sarath Guttikunda, is an alumni of IIT-Kharagpur, 1997 batch Chemical Engineering. He is the Founder/Director of UrbanEmissions.Info in India, is an adjunct professor at Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi).

He conducts research in an independent capacity to support science, policy, and public dialogue on air pollution, for which he received the International Award by the American Geophysical Union in 2022.

UrbanEmissions' umbrella programs, Air Pollution knowledge Assessments for cities (APnA) -- builds air quality information baselines for cities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He received his Doctorate from the University of Iowa in the United States in 2002.