Biography
I am Dr. Shekhar Sharan Goyal, currently working as a Research Scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany. My work bridges agricultural nutrient management, ecohydrology, and geospatial modeling to promote sustainable and climate-resilient food systems.
Education
- Ph.D., Earth Sciences – Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (2020–2024, submitted)
Advisor: Prof. Udit Bhatia | Focus: Nutrient pollution and agri-trade sustainability - M.Sc., Geology – Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (2016–2018)
Advisor: Prof. Abhijit Mukherjee - B.Sc., Geology – Banaras Hindu University (2013–2016)
Research Experience
- Research Scientist, UFZ Leipzig (2025–Present)
Stream-temperature modeling (FluSeeQ) and nutrient management modeling - Visiting Researcher, UFZ Leipzig (Aug–Dec 2023)
Developed district-scale nitrogen surplus dataset for Indian agriculture - Summer Intern, WIHG (2017)
Structural geology and neotectonic mapping in the Himalayas
Research Interests
- Nitrogen & phosphorus pollution in agriculture
- Ecohydrology and climate-resilient cropping
- Agro-trade networks and environmental footprints
- Stream temperature dynamics and water stress
- Policy design for sustainable agriculture
Grants & Distinctions
- EGU Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award (2025)
- Overseas Research Fellowship, IIT Gandhinagar (2023)
- CSIR-NET (Lectureship) – AIR 15 in Geology (2019)
- GATE – 98.7 percentile in Earth Sciences (2019)
- JAM – 98.5 percentile in Geology (2016)
Publications
- Goyal, S.S. et al. (2024). Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution. Communications Earth & Environment.
- Goyal, S.S. et al. (2024). District-scale nitrogen surplus dataset for Indian agriculture. Scientific Data.
- Under Review: Nutrient-Centric Restructuring in Indian Agriculture. Nature Communications.
Conference Presentations
- EGU 2025, 2024, 2023; AGU 2021
Current Projects
- C-Narmada – Agricultural & Nutrient Dynamics in the Narmada Basin
- FluSeeQ – Stream Temperature & Hydrologic Forecasting across Germany
- AquaSub – Satellite based river temperature modelling
Teaching & Field Experience
- TA: Earth Surface Processes, River Ecology, Earth System Modeling
- Field: Surat (2022), Varanasi (2017)
Skills
- Programming: Python, R, MATLAB, LaTeX
- Geospatial & Hydrological Tools: ArcGIS, QGIS, SWAT, HEC-RAS
- Languages: English, Hindi
Leadership & Engagement
- Workshop Organizer: Infrastructure Resilience (2022), Tech Transfer for Farmers (2024)
- Executive Member: Prithvi, IIT Kharagpur