PG

Pandithurai Govindan

Also known as: G Pandithurai

Indian Institute of Technology Madras, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL METEOROLOGY, University of Pune, The American College, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Alagappa University

ORCID iD 0000-0001-7324-3773
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About

Dr. G. Pandithurai is presently an Adjunct Professor in Centre for Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He was formerly Scientist-G and Project Director at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. He completed his doctoral research at IITM and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Pune in 1998. He did his post-doctoral research work in the Department of Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, University of Maryland, USA (1998-2000) and as a Visiting Professor in the Centre for Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University, Japan (2008-2009). He has been holding various scientific positions at IITM and contributing to aerosol, radiation, and cloud physics studies using aircraft and ground-based observations. He has contributed to the understanding of aerosol radiative forcing through the DST-NSF project in collaboration with Prof. Rachel Pinker, University of Maryland. Further, he has been actively involved in CAIPEEX aircraft campaigns and studied the indirect aerosol effect on cloud microphysics. He took the lead in the establishment of the High-Altitude Cloud Physics Laboratory (HACPL) at Mahabaleshwar, Western Ghats in 2012. In HACPL, he aimed to understand how aerosol physical and chemical properties affect cloud microphysics and precipitation using long-term measurements. Currently, he is spearheading the establishment of an Atmospheric Research Testbed in Central India, core monsoon zone. This facility is aimed at understanding the physical processes relating to convection, clouds, and land-atmosphere interactions to improve parameterization. He also leads a group in radar meteorology which addresses orographic clouds and precipitation processes and works to set up a short-range radar network in the Mumbai Metropolitan region to provide high temporal and spatial resolution rainfall to enable flood warning system.
He has guided 8 PhD students and presently guiding 5 Ph.D. students. Published about 194 research papers in peer-reviewed journals with citations of 4642 and an h-index of 36 (Google Scholar). He received the Das Gupta Award from the Indian Met Society, a Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Earth Sciences (2014), the Sikka Award (2016) and the IITM Golden Jubilee Award (2018), IITM Silver Jubilee awards in 1997 for outstanding contributions in atmospheric science and technology. He has about 33 years of research experience in aerosol, radiation, and remote sensing measurements. He is an Associate Editor for Meteorological Applications in the Royal Meteorological Society, UK.

Employment

  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras Adjunct Professor
    2025 - Present
  • INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL METEOROLOGY Scientist-G & Project Director
    2023 - 2025
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Scientist-F and Project Director
    2018 - 2023
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Scientist E Project Director
    2013 - 2018
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Scientist D
    2009 - 2013
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Scientist C
    2003 - 2008
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Scientist C
    2000 - 2003
  • Rukmini Shanmugam Polytechnic
    1999 - 2000
  • University of Maryland Post-Doctoral Fellow
    1998 - 2000
  • MAVMM Polytechnic Instructor
    1997 - 1999
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Junior Scientific Officer
    1995 - 2000
  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Senior Scientific Assistant
    1990 - 1995

Education

  • University of Pune PhD
    1993 - 1998
  • The American College PGDCA
    1988 - 1989
  • Alagappa University MSc
    1985 - 1987
  • Madurai Kamaraj University B.Sc
    1982 - 1985

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (115)