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IInvenTiv2026

Faculty details

Prof.Deepak Kumar Jha

Designation: Assistant Professor

Department: Applied Geology

Email: deepakgeo[at]iitism[dot]ac[dot]in

Contact Number:

Office Number: +91-326-223-5080

Personal Page: Click Here

About Me: I study the deep history of human–environment interactions, examining how climate, vegetation, and fire have shaped societies from the past to the present. By combining biogeochemical techniques with archaeological perspectives, my work not only reconstructs past environments and human responses but also provides insights into the theory of the Anthropocene and pathways toward future sustainability. I use stable isotopes measured at both bulk (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, δ¹⁵N) and bio-molecular (δ¹³C, δ²H of n-alkanes and fatty acids) levels to track provenance, vegetation shifts, dietary and climate change. I also analyse macro-charcoal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) preserved in archaeological sediments to explore human-induced fire events and the role of fire in human evolution. Currently, I work across desert, river, and lake systems in India, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, in collaboration with projects in Sri Lanka, Argentina, Armenia, Morocco, Australia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, and Brazil, to investigate how climate fluctuations influenced prehistoric populations. Alongside this, I am building modern calibration frameworks in the Himalayas and Thar Desert, linking compound-specific isotopic values with elevation, pCO₂, rainfall, and temperature. These calibrations provide powerful tools for interpreting past climate dynamics in both high-altitude and arid regions. Broadly, my interests span Quaternary climate and vegetation, geoarchaeology, and fire ecology. By integrating biomarkers (n-alkanes, fatty acids, PAHs, steranes, hopanes) and their compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA), I aim to uncover long-term patterns of human–environment interaction, including the pivotal role of fire in landscapes and human evolution.

Research Interest: Biogeochemistry, Stable Isotope, Sedimentology, Palaecology and Palaeofire, Geoarchaeology (Human-Environment Interactions)

Curriculum
Vitae
Publications

Teaching

1. Fundamentals of Organic Geochemistry

2. Geoarchaeology

3. Organic Geochemistry

4. Environmental Geology

Academics

2016-2021:      Ph.D. (Geological Sciences), Department of Earth Sciences, IISER Kolkata, India.

2013-2016:      Master of Science (Geological Sciences), Department of Earth Sciences, IISER Kolkata, India.

2010-2013:      Bachelor of Science (Hons. Geology), Department of Geology, University of Delhi, India

Position

2025 (Aug)–Present:          Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad, India.

Mar 2024–Dec 2025:          Visiting Professor, School of Archaeology, University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines.

Mar 2025­–Jul 2025:            Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanisation, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Germany.

Sep 2024–Feb 2025:          Postdoctoral Researcher: isoTROPIC Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Germany.

Jun 2022–Jun 2024:          Visiting Scientist: Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany.

Jun 2021–Aug 2024:          Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (formerly MPI for the Science of Human History), Germany.

Mar 2021­–May 2021:          Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, IISER Mohali, India.

Awards and Honors

  • Associate Editor of Geoarchaeology (Wiley; 2026-Present)
  • Editorial Board Member: 1. Discover Geoscience (Springer Nature; 2026 - Present) 2. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Nature Portfolio; 2026 - Present)
  • Guest Editor, Special Issue: Applications of Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) in Environmental Archaeology, Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology (2024 – 2025).
  • Guest Editor, Special Issue: Quaternary Research in South Asia: Exploring Human-Environment Interaction, Quaternary Environments and Humans (2024–2025).
  • Lead Convener, Session #46: "Applications of Biomarkers and CSIA in Pleistocene Archaeology," INQUA Roma (2023).
  • Co-convener, Session #92: "Zooming into the Quaternary Research in South Asia: Understanding the Landscape-Cultural-Climatic Evolution," INQUA Roma (2023).
  • Reviewer for journals (n=15): Earth Science Reviews, Organic Geochemistry, Quaternary Science Reviews, Applied Geochemistry, Communication Earth & Environment, Scientific Reports, Geoarchaeology, Frontiers in Earth Science, Quaternary International, Environmental Pollution, Journal of Field Archaeology, Latin American Antiquity, Quaternary Environment and Humans, The Oriental Anthropologist, and Peer community in Archaeology.
  • Reviewer for funding agencies (n = 2): The Leakey Foundation; DAAD: German Academic Exchange Service.
  • PAGES Travel Grant (€1700), Young Scientist Meeting (YSM) 2025, Shanghai, China (2025).
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany (2021 – 2025).
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, IISER Mohali (2021 – 2022; left after 3 months).
  • Recipient, Young Scientist Meeting Grant (€1500), PAGES, Shanghai, China (2025).
  • Recipient, Goldschmidt Conference Grant (APC and Registration Waiver (€500)), Lyon, France (2021).
  • Recipient, Tilly Edinger Travel Grant Award (€485), Goldschmidt2021, Lyon, France (2021).
  • Recipient, Special Registration Support Program (€300), 36th International Geological Congress (IGC), Delhi, India.
  • Recipient, INQUA Bursary (€1000), INQUA Congress, Dublin, Ireland (2019).
  • Recipient, IAS Post Graduate Research Grant (€1000), International Association of Sedimentologists (2018).
  • Recipient, IAS Travel Grant (€500), 20th International Sedimentological Congress, Canada (2018).
  • Best Poster Award, Advances in Modern Earth System Sciences, IISER Kolkata (2017).
  • Best Poster Award, Annual Conference, IISER Kolkata (2016).
  • MS-PhD Fellowship, IISER Kolkata (2013 – 2020).

Interviewed for:

  • Climate Change and Human Evolution Series, Down to Earth Magazine (2024).
  • Meet the Scientists: Time Scavengers (2021).
  • Fire use by prehistoric humans in India by Times of India (2020).

Publications

List Of Research Publications (only in Peer-reviewed Journals)

Selected Publications (See PDF for full publication list): 

*Corresponding Author

  1. *Jha, D.K., Dasgupta, S. and Sanyal, R. (2025). A geoarchaeological timeline of India. Quaternary Environments & Humans, 3(4), p.100089.
  2. Vaishnav, H.K., *Jha, D.K., Janardhana, B. (2025). Geoarchaeological and environmental perspectives on Mesolithic and Neolithic settlement patterns in the Ganga Valley, India. Quaternary Environment & Humans, 3(1), p.100051.
  3. Vaishnav, H.K., Janardhana, B., *Jha, D.K., (2025). Acheulean habitation in the Upper Son Valley, India: Insights into Early Settlement and Environment. Antiquity, pp.1-9.
  4. Ramírez-Pedraza, I., Tornero, C., Aouraghe, H., Rivals, F., Patalano, R., Haddoumi, H., Expósito, I., Rodríguez-Hidalgo, A., Mischke, S., van der Made, J., Piñero, P., Blain, H.-A., Roberts, P., Jha, D.K., Agustí, J., Sánchez-Bandera, C., Lemjidi, A., Benito-Calvo, A., Moreno-Ribas, E., Oujaa, A., Mhamdi, H., Souhir, M., Aissa, A.M., Chacón, M.G. and Sala-Ramos, R. (2024). Arid, mosaic environments during the Plio-Pleistocene transition and early hominin dispersals in northern Africa. Nature Communication 15, 8393.
  5. *Jha, D.K., Hirave, P., Ghosh, S., Dasgupta, B., and Sanyal, P. (2024). Does Leaf wax isotopic characterisation capture environmental gradients in Himalayas? Organic Geochemistry. 187, 104720.
  6. Roberts, P., Caetano-Andrade, V.L., Fisher, M., Hamilton, R., Rudd, R., Stokes, F., Amano, N., Dugmore, A., Findley, D.M., Furquim, L.P., Fletcher, M., Haberle, S., Hambrecht, G., Heddell-Stevens, P., Iminjili, V., Jha, D.K., et al. (2024). Uncovering environmental legacies of past human societies on the Earth system at the global scale. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 45.
  7. Sanyal, P., Adhya, S.P., Roy, B., Dasgupta, B., Samantaray, S., Mandal, R., Sen, R., Sarangi, V., Kumar, A., Jha, D.K., Ajay, A. (2024). Geologic History of Plants and Climate in India. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 52.
  8. *Jha, D.K., Patalano, R., Ilgner, J., Achyuthan, H., Alsharekh, A.M., Armitage, S., Blinkhorn, J., Boivin, N., Breeze, P.S., Devra, R., Drake, N., Groucutt, H.S., Guagnin, M., Roberts, P. and Petraglia, M.D., (2024). Preservation of plant-wax biomarkers in Deserts: Implications for Quaternary environment and human evolutionary studies. Journal of Quaternary Science, 39(3), pp.349-358.
  9. *Jha, D.K., Vaishnav, H.K., and Roy, N. (2024). Late Quaternary human-environment relationship in the Ganga Plain, India. Quaternary International, 680, 1-16.
  10. Huber, B., Hammann, S., Loeben, C. E., Jha, D. K., Vassão, D. G., Larsen, T., Spengler, R. N., Fuller, D. Q., Roberts, P., Devièse, T., Boivin, N. (2023). Biomolecular characterization of 3500-year-old ancient Egyptian mummification balms from the Valley of the Kings. Scientific Reports, 13(1), p.12477.
  11. Dhiman, H., Verma, V., Singh, L.R., Miglani, V., Jha, D.K., Sanyal, P., Tandon, S.K. and Prasad, G.V. (2023). New Late Cretaceous titanosaur sauropod dinosaur egg clutches from Lower Narmada valley, India: Palaeobiology and taphonomy. PloS One, 18(1), p.e0278242.
  12. *Jha, D.K., Samrat, R., Sanyal, P. (2021). The first evidence of controlled use of fire by prehistoric humans during the Middle Paleolithic phase from the Indian subcontinent. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 562, p.110151.
  13. *Jha, D.K., Sanyal, P. and Philippe, A. (2020). Multi-proxy evidence of Late Quaternary climate and vegetational history of north-central India: Implication for the Paleolithic to Neolithic phases. Quaternary Science Reviews, 229, p.106121.

Projects & Activities

Sponsored Research Projects (External Funded)

 
Principal investigator (PI) Project
 
1. Tracing the Roots of Urban Society: A multi-proxy geoarchaeological investigation of Chalcolithic sites in India (GeoRoots) fundded by Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) (2026-2029).

 

2. Geodiversity assessment of the Rajmahal Hills (northeastern Jharkhand) to evaluate its potential as a UNESCO Global Geopark for geoconservation-led sustainable development (GEORAJMAHAL) funded by Jharkhand Council on Science, Technology and Innovation (JCSTI) (2026-2029).

 

Co-Principal investigator (Co-PI) Project
 
1. Technological Transition or Independent Evolution? Investigating the Blade and Bladelet Industry in South Bihar, India funded by Wenner-Gren Foundation (2025-2027).

Other Academic and Administrative Activities

1. Department Undergraduate Committee (DUGC) Convenor, Applied Geology (2026-Present)

Guidance

Mentorship: Postdoc/Centenary Early Faculty Fellowship (CE2F)

1. Dr. Belligraham Narzary

Centenary Early Faculty Fellowship (CE2F)

PhD in Geological Science from IISER Kolkata, India

Email: bnarzary123@gmail.com 

Research Interests: Landscape Evolution, OSL Chronology, Geomorphology

PhD Candidate

1. Vimochani Tripathi

MSc in Geology from University of Allahabad, India

Email: 25DR0328@iitism.ac.in

Research Interests: Geoarchaeology, Organic Geochemistry, Stable Isotope Geochemistry

2. Shreya Shrey

MSc in Geology from Ranchi University, India

Email: 26DP0101@iitism.ac.in

Research Interests: Geoheritage, Geoarchaeology, Sedimentology

3. Ayush Suresh Shrote

MSc in Geology from IIT Bombay, India

Email: 26DR0170@iitism.ac.in

Research Interests: Geoarchaeology, Organic Geochemistry, Archaeometallurgy

 

 

 

 
M.Tech/MSc. Tech Candidate

1. Aashin Krishna

Final Year Dissertation 

Integrated M.Tech. (Applied Geology) from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, India

Email: 22je0008@iitism.ac.in

Research Interests: AI/ML Application, Geoarchaeology

 

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