Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll is a Climate Scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. He did his Ph.D. in Ocean and Atmospheric Dynamics from Hokkaido University, Japan.
Koll has made breakthrough contributions to the research, monitoring, and modeling of climate and extreme weather events over the Indo-Pacific region. His work has advanced the scientific understanding of monsoon floods and droughts, terrestrial and marine heatwaves, and cyclones—facilitating the food, water, and economic security of the region.
Koll is a Lead Author of the IPCC Reports and the former Chair of the Indian Ocean Region Panel. He actively collaborates with citizen science networks, local governments, and media to bring science to society.
Koll received the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (National Science Award), the highest recognition in the field of science, technology and innovation in India, from the President of India in 2024. He was conferred a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and was awarded the AGU Devendra Lal Medal for outstanding research in Earth and Space Sciences in 2022. He is among the top 2% scientists ranked by Stanford University. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences awarded him the Kavli Fellowship in 2015 and the NRC Senior Research Fellowship in 2018. The Indian Meteorological Society felicitated him with the Young Scientist Award in 2016 for his research on the changes in the Monsoon.
Scientist, Centre for Climate Change Research, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Apr 2010 – Present
Professor, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR).
Jan 2024 – Present
Visiting Scientist, PMEL/NOAA, Seattle, USA.
Aug 2018 – Aug 2019
Adjunct Professor, University of Pune, India.
Aug 2013 – Present
Adjunct Faculty, Meteorological Training Institute, IMD, Pune, India.
Aug 2013 – Present
Adjunct Faculty, Centre for Advanced Training in Earth System Science and Climate, IITM/MoES.
Aug 2011 – 2014
Visiting Scientist, Faculty of Environmental Earth Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan.
July 2014 – Aug 2014
Visiting Scientist, NCEP/NOAA, Maryland, USA.
Mar 2012 – May 2012
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change, Italy.
Feb 2008 – Mar 2010
JSPS Research Assistant (Japanese Govt. Center of Excellence) at Hokkaido University, Japan.
Apr 2004 – Jul 2007
Junior Research Fellow (CSIR), National Institute of Oceanography, India.
Feb 2003- Feb 2004.
PhD in Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. 2004–2007.
MSc Physical Oceanography, Cochin University of Science & Technology, India, with 2nd rank. 2000–2002.
Listed under: Publications, Conference Presentations and Invited Talks
Climate Change/Variability Research and Earth System Modeling, Ocean Atmospheric Dynamics and Interaction, Tropical Intraseasonal Variability, Indian Ocean and the Asian monsoon, Biophysical Interactions in the Marine Ecosystem, Climate Change Impact on Health.
- Management Committee, Global Heat Health Information Network, UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and World Health Organization (WHO)
- Lead Author, Contributing Author, and Reviewer, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports (SROCC, AR6) and National Climate Change Report.
- Member, WCRP/CLIVAR Scientific Steering Group (SSG), 2023-2026.
- Member, WCRP/CLIVAR Research Foci on Marine Heatwaves (MHW).
- Member, WCRP/CLIVAR Research Foci on Trans-basin Interactions (TBI).
- Chair, CLIVAR Indian Ocean Region Panel for the period 2018-2022 and Member during 2016-2018.
- Editor of the journals (1) Progress in Oceanography, (2) Frontiers in Climate, (3) Ocean Science Journal, (4) Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research. Editorial Board Member of Nature Partner Journal, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. Former Editor of Scientific Reports.
- Governing Council Member, Ocean Society of India, and Editorial Board Member, Ocean Digest.
- Principal Investigator of India-UK (MoES-NERC) and India-France (MoES National Monsoon Mission) projects.
- Administrator and Co-Founder, Oceanographers Net, largest online oceanographic community, www.oceanographers.net [defunct now]
- Convener and chair at the Atmospheric Science Section on “Monsoon, Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events,” AOGS 2014, Japan. Top 16 among 176 scientific sessions.
- Convener and chair at the Atmospheric Science Section on “Ocean-Atmospheric Processes in the Dynamics of the Asian Monsoon,” AOGS 2013, Australia.
- Convener and chair at the Ocean Science Section on “Climate variability in the Asia-Oceania region”, AOGS 2010, Hyderabad.
- Reviewer of scientific journals: Nature Geoscience, Nature Climate Change, J.Climate, Geo.Res.Lett., Climate Dynamics, Mon.Wea.Rev., Science Advances, Scientific Reports, J.Met.Soc.Japan, Atmopheric Research, Int.J.Climatology, Tellus, etc.
- Editor, Ocean Section, Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) Newsletter, 2006-’07.
- Executive Member, Co-founder and Web Administrator, Hokkaido University International Students Association, 2005-’07.
- Academic Advisor to 5 PhD students and 30 Masters’ students
- Member of Board of Studies, Cochin University of Science & Technology
- Scientific Advisor, Virtual Institute for Earth’s Water, Schmidt Sciences, New York
- Scientific Advisor to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA)
- Scientific Advisor to National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on heat related illness and death
- Scientific Advisor to Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), on economic and health impact assessment of heat adaptation action
- Scientific Advisor, Meenachil River and Rain Monitoring, a citizen science network
- Scientific Advisor to thinktanks such as Mumbai First, Alt Carbon, Dygnify
- Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS) cruise, 15 June – 18 July, 2005 on US R/V Roger Revelle.
- Arabian Sea Monsoon Experiment (ARMEX) cruise, 13 March – 10 April, 2003 on R/V Sagar Kanya.
- On board Oceanographic skills: Radio Sonde, SODAR, CTD operation, LADP.
- Experience in Earth System Model (ESM) development. Expertise in climate models such as NCEP Climate Forecast System v2 (CFSv2) and INGV-SXG (SINTEX).
- Experience in using IBM P6/NEC SX-8 supercomputers for climate modeling.
- Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, the highest recognition in the field of science, technology and innovation in India, from the President of India, 2024.
- American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fellow and Devendra Lal Medal for outstanding research in Earth and Space Sciences, 2022.
- US National Academy of Sciences NRC Senior Associateship, 2018.
- IITM Silver Jubilee Award for the Best Research Paper, 2017.
- A.D. Vernekar Award on Modelling study on Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, by the Indian Meteorological Society, in 2017.
- National Award for Young Scientist in Atmospheric Sciences by the Indian Meteorological Society in 2016.
- Co-Chair and Member of the CLIVAR Indian Ocean Region Panel for 2016-2021. The CLIVAR Panel provides scientific and technical oversight for the implementation of the sustained ocean observing system for the Indian Ocean and coordinates research on the role of the Indian Ocean on the climate system.
- Kavli Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences [NAS]. Kavli fellows are selected by the members of the National Academy of Sciences. Since its inception in 1989, more than one hundred seventy-five of its “alumni” have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and ten have received Nobel Prizes.
- Chief Guest for the Science Day Program at the Acharya Sree Vijay Vallabh School, Pune, on 28 February 2017.
- AOGS 2014 main convener of Top 16 scientific sessions (among 176 sessions), Sapporo, Japan, July 2014.
- Best Poster Award (out of 48 scientific posters), International Symposium on “Sustainable Development,” Hokkaido University, August 2006.
- JSPS Research Assistantship under 21st Century Center of Excellence (COE), Japanese Government, 2003 – ’07
JGC Corporation – Saneyoshi Scholarship, 2006 – ’07
Hokkaido University International Student Center Scholarship, 2006 – ’07 - Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India – Junior Research Fellowship (National Level), 2002 – 04
- UGC – National Eligibility Test, 2002 (Science Lectureship in Universities and colleges across India.)
- Postgraduate merit scholarship for M.Sc Oceanography, Cochin University of Science & Technology, 2000 – ’02
