Deepak Kumar Jha

About

My research is driven by curiosity to unravel the mechanisms through which climate has shaped evolution of Homo species in the Indian subcontinent. My Ph.D. research work at the Stable Isotope Laboratory of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, India, was oriented towards understanding the complex interaction between human and environment in India. I am utilising stable isotopic techniques (bulk and biomolecular level) to decipher changes in climatic conditions and their resultant effects on the prehistoric human population. I have also successfully applied the charcoal separation/identification from archaeological samples to understand the human-induced fire events and the role of fire in human evolution.

I have utilised a suite of analytical instrumentation, e.g., Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS) coupled with (via Conflo and Dual-Inlet) Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS), Kiel IV Carbonate Device, Organic Elemental Analyzer, and Gas Bench to generate such proxy-based records for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

Employment

• Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad Assistant Professor
  2025 - Present
• Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology Postdoctoral Researcher
  2025 - 2025
• University of the Philippines Diliman Visiting Professor
  2024 - 2025
• Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology Postdoctoral Researcher
  2024 - 2025
• Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Visiting Scientist
  2022 - 2024
• Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Postdoctoral Researcher
  2021 - 2024
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Postdoctoral Researcher
  2021 - 2021

Education

• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata Ph.D
  2016 - 2021
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata MS Geological Sciences
  2013 - 2016
• University of Delhi BSc (Hons.) Geology
  2010 - 2013

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (35)

• Quaternary research in South Asia: Exploring human-environment interactions
  Quaternary Environments and Humans 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.qeh.2026.100098
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• Late Holocene vegetation dynamics, fire regimes, and human impact in Southern Brazil: A multi-proxy palaeoecological record from the Matematico Lake
  PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY 2026 DOI: 10.1016/J.PALAEO.2026.113556
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• A geoarchaeological timeline of India
  Quaternary Environments and Humans 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.qeh.2025.100089
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• Acheulean habitation in the Upper Son Valley, India: insights into early occupation and environment
  Antiquity 2025 DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2025.20
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• Seasonally resolved stratigraphy at Jwalapuram India shows regional surface warming after the Toba volcanic super-eruption
  PNAS Nexus 2025 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf109
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• Geoarchaeological perspective on Mesolithic and Neolithic settlement pattern and transition in the Ganga Plain, India
  Quaternary Environments and Humans 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100051
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• On-site plant-wax biomarker analysis for assessing soil-organic-microbial degradation in archaeological contexts: A case study from Southern India
  ISCIENCE 2025 DOI: 10.1016/J.ISCI.2025.113656
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• Arid, mosaic environments during the Plio-Pleistocene transition and early hominin dispersals in northern Africa
  NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 2024 DOI: 10.1038/S41467-024-52672-0
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• Uncovering the Multibiome Environmental and Earth System Legacies of Past Human Societies
  ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES 2024 DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV-ENVIRON-112321-101257
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• The Geologic History of Plants and Climate in India
  ANNUAL REVIEW OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES 2024 DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV-EARTH-040722-102442
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