Chair Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, India

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders representing various identities, voices and perspectives. List any identities, voices and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and anything else you feel comfortable sharing.

I bring a perspective shaped by working at the intersection of geoscience, engineering, and societal risk reduction in the Global South, particularly across India and the Himalayan region. My work on geohazards, including landslides, seismic risk, and climate-driven extremes, reflects the needs of highly vulnerable, rapidly developing regions, offering insights that bridge science, policy, and community resilience. As a woman in engineering and geoscience, I actively advocate for greater inclusion and representation, including through initiatives that support women’s participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). My experience spans collaboration with diverse international teams through ISSMGE and AGU platforms, enabling me to contribute a globally connected yet locally grounded perspective. I bring a voice that values interdisciplinary collaboration, equitable access to scientific knowledge, and the translation of research into real-world impact. I am particularly committed to strengthening representation from underrepresented regions, fostering inclusive scientific communities, and advancing solutions-oriented geoscience that addresses societal challenges at multiple scales.

Volunteer experience that you feel relates to this position:

I have contributed significantly to the international geoscience community through leadership and service in International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) technical committees and Asian regional initiatives. I serve as Convener of International Symposium on Field Monitoring in Geomechanics 2026 and have convened sessions at AGU Fall Meeting and the European Geosciences Union. My work advances global collaboration through conference leadership, invited lectures, and interdisciplinary engagement focused on geohazards, field monitoring, geomechanics, and climate resilience, strengthening international knowledge exchange and capacity building across research and practice.

Section presidents and presidents-elect serve as members of the AGU Council and lead their sections. The AGU Council is a diverse forum of perspectives that meets throughout the year to provide input to the AGU Board, staff, and other parts of the organization. Three communities within the Council - committee chairs, section leaders, and students and early career scientists - serve different roles in AGU and bring unique viewpoints to ongoing discussions.

This role aims to catalyze community and build AGU as envisioned by the strategic plan. This leadership position is a dual role: helping to advance AGU’s strategic plan as a member of Council; and leading your section. How would you support the Board, staff and other sections to achieve AGU’s vision, values, mission, and goals? How will you engage with members of your section to execute AGU’s strategic plan?

As a geotechnical earthquake engineer with over two decades of research in landslides, seismic microzonation, and disaster risk mitigation and as the 2025 AGU Natural Hazards Mitigation Award recipient, I bring both scientific depth and institutional breadth to this role.

Supporting the Board, Staff, and Cross-Section Collaboration

I will actively contribute to AGU Council discussions by bringing the Natural Hazards community's perspective to cross-cutting challenges: climate-driven hazard cascades, open science mandates, and equitable access to research infrastructure. Drawing on my experience with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) policy advisory bodies, Indian Roads Congress (IRC) technical committees, and ISSMGE international committees, I will help translate AGU's strategic goals into actionable partnerships with government, industry, and civil society, particularly in underrepresented regions of Asia and the Global South, where hazard exposure is highest and scientific voice is often weakest.

Engaging the Natural Hazards Section

I will prioritize three initiatives: First, building an inclusive section culture by creating mentorship pathways for early career scientists and researchers from low-resource institutions, aligning with AGU's inclusion goal. Second, fostering solution-oriented science by connecting section members with policymakers and communities affected by hazard, moving from discovery to impact. Third, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration by forging structured linkages with the Seismology, Hydrology, and Atmospheric Sciences sections on compound hazard problems.

My commitment is simple: a Natural Hazards section that is scientifically excellent, globally representative, and consequentially engaged with the world it studies.