DS

Dharmendra Kumar Singh

UIUC, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, National University of Singapore Faculty of Engineering, Chubu University, Japan, IIT Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

ORCID iD 0000-0003-1428-2849
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About

Dr. Dharmendra Kumar Singh is an atmospheric and climate scientist whose interdisciplinary research bridges atmospheric chemistry, Earth system modeling, and sustainability science. Currently a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), he specializes in characterizing atmospheric and climate dimensions of circular bioeconomy systems while advancing understanding of aviation's climate impacts.
Dr. Singh's unique profile integrates biological sciences training (B.Sc. Botany, Chemistry; M.Sc. Biotechnology; M.Tech. Agricultural Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur) with atmospheric chemistry expertise (Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, IIT Kanpur) and climate modeling capabilities (Postdoctoral research, UIUC). This distinctive foundation enables comprehensive environmental assessments of climate-smart circular bioeconomy transitions, examining how agricultural activities, bioenergy production, and bioprocessing facilities interact with Earth's atmosphere and climate system.
His groundbreaking work on contrails and contrail cirrus—published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2024)—provides a definitive global assessment of aviation's climate forcing, informing NASA, FAA, and industry strategies for sustainable aviation. Using the Community Earth System Model (CESM 2.2), he quantifies greenhouse gas emissions, aerosol dynamics, and radiative forcing under future climate scenarios, translating complex atmospheric science into actionable sustainability insights.
Before joining UIUC in 2022, Dr. Singh held research positions spanning four continents. As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS, 2018-2020), he investigated atmospheric surfactants and aerosol-cloud interactions across European networks. Earlier postdoctoral appointments at National University of Singapore, Chubu University (Japan), IMT Lille (France), and IIT Delhi advanced understanding of Arctic aerosol photochemistry, urban air quality, and health impacts of atmospheric pollutants in agricultural regions.
His research excellence is recognized through prestigious international awards: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (92.0% score), Beatriu de Pinós MSCA-COFUND Fellowship (91.40%), MSCA Seal of Excellence (90.60%), JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship (Japan), Editor's Award for Outstanding Reviewer (Atmospheric Environment), and International Marine Scientist Awards 2024 (Best Researcher category). His ICAR-NET qualification (2010) establishes teaching eligibility in Plant Sciences at Indian universities.
With 22+ peer-reviewed publications (h-index: 16; i10-index: 18) in high-impact journals including Environmental Science & Technology, Science of the Total Environment, Journal of Hazardous Materials, and Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, his work spans aerosol chemistry, health risk assessment, climate forcing, and biofuel sustainability.
Dr. Singh has contributed technical reports to USRA/NASA, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boom Supersonic, and the European Commission. He serves as reviewer for premier journals including Nature Communications, Journal of Climate, Scientific Reports, and ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, and was Guest Editor for "Global Air Quality and Health" in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
His technical capabilities encompass advanced atmospheric measurements (MARGA, AMS, LC-MS, GC-MS, ICP-OES), climate modeling (CESM, CAM6.3 on HPC systems including NCAR Derecho), sustainability assessment tools (BioSTEAM, TEA, LCA, MFA), and programming (Python, MATLAB, CDO, NCO). International collaborations span NCAR, NASA, FAA, CNRS/IRCELyon, KIT, ETH Zurich, University of Helsinki, Chubu University, and NUS.
At UIUC, Dr. Singh is establishing an interdisciplinary research program that: (1) quantifies atmospheric and climate impacts of circular bioeconomy transitions, (2) develops integrated assessment frameworks combining climate science with agricultural systems analysis, (3) partners with experimental facilities to measure real-world emissions, and (4) translates atmospheric science into climate-smart agricultural strategies. His engagement with UIUC's bioeconomy ecosystem—including CABBI, iSEE's SAF Workshop, and the AI for Bioeconomy Workshop—positions him at the forefront of research connecting biological production with atmospheric and climate outcomes.
Core Research Areas: Aviation climate impacts and sustainable aviation fuels • Atmospheric chemistry and aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions • Climate-smart circular bioeconomy and bioenergy sustainability

Employment

  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Postdoctoral Research Associate
    2022 - 2027
  • IIT Delhi Principal Project Scientist
    2020 - 2021
  • French National Centre for Scientific Research Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow
    2018 - 2020
  • IMT Lille Douai Postdoctoral Research Fellow
    2017 - 2018
  • UIUC

Education

  • National University of Singapore Faculty of Engineering Postdoctoral research fellow
    2017 - 2017
  • Chubu University, Japan Postdoctoral research Fellow
    2016 - 2017
  • Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur PhD
    2011 - 2016

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (17)