IIT Bombay Professor Karthikeyan Lanka has been selected for the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) Young Scientist Award 2026 for his research in Earth sciences, particularly his work on agricultural droughts.
IIT Bombay shared the announcement on its official X account, congratulating Prof Lanka on being selected for the award.
Congratulations to Prof. Karthikeyan Lanka for being selected for the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) Young Scientist Award 2026. pic.twitter.com/Pbm8wY08x0
— IIT Bombay (@iitbombay) August 6, 2026
Why was Prof Karthikeyan Lanka selected?
Prof Lanka’s research focuses on understanding drought, soil moisture and interactions between land and the atmosphere. He uses satellite data, remote sensing and climate models to study how changes in water availability affect agriculture.
His work is aimed at improving the understanding and prediction of agricultural droughts, which can have a direct impact on crops, farmers and water resources.
At IIT Bombay’s Centre of Studies in Resources Engineering (CSRE), his research includes soil-moisture estimation using microwave remote sensing, drought and heatwave prediction, and land-surface modelling.
His research can help improve drought monitoring
Droughts are becoming an important concern for agriculture and water management. Prof Lanka’s research uses data from satellites and scientific models to get a better picture of changing soil moisture and rainfall conditions.
Such information can help researchers understand where drought conditions may develop and how they could affect agricultural areas.
Prof Lanka is an Associate Professor at IIT Bombay’s Centre of Studies in Resources Engineering. His academic work broadly covers remote sensing, land-atmosphere interactions and hydrology.
The NASI Young Scientist Award recognises young researchers for significant contributions to science. Prof Lanka’s selection brings national recognition to his research in drought and environmental studies.
