Sunil Khadgarai

Atmospheric and Climate Scientist with more than 14 years of research experience in satellite meteorology, extreme precipitation, tropical cyclones, urban hydrometeorology, and climate variability. My research focuses on integrating satellite, radar, and raingauge observations to improve precipitation estimation, understand microphysical processes, and assess hydrometeorological extremes. I have authored 21 peer-reviewed international journal publications, predominantly in Q1 journals, and have actively contributed to national and international research programs, observational network development, and capacity-building initiatives.

Project Scientist - Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) - Pune, India

(2022-05)

• Leading establishment and scientific analysis of short-range X-band radar networks for urban precipitation studies.
• Conducting research on extreme rainfall events, precipitation structure, and urban flood risk.
• Integrating radar, satellite (GPM/IMERG), and rain-gauge datasets for high-resolution rainfall estimation.
• Supporting real-time applications related to nowcasting and urban hydrometeorology.

Research Associate - Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) - Pune, India

(2019-05 - 2022-04)

• Investigated tropical cyclone precipitation characteristics over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea using GPM-DPR.
• Studied urbanization impacts on extreme rainfall variability over Mumbai.
• Contributed to the design, deployment, and scientific validation of the MESONET rain-gauge network.

Postdoctoral Fellow - Hirosaki University - Japan

(2016 - 2018)

• Developed End-of-the-Day (EOD) rainfall quality control algorithms for APHRODITE-2 daily precipitation datasets.
• Improved gauge data quality using multi-satellite precipitation consistency checks.
• Participated in international collaborations and delivered training workshops.

Senior Research Fellow - National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), ISRO - India

(2012 - 2015)

• Conducted satellite validation and observational studies on rainfall variability and precipitation microphysics.
• Worked with rain gauges, disdrometers, and satellite datasets for precipitation diagnostics.

Junior Research Fellow - National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), ISRO - India

(2010 - 2012)

• Supported observational campaigns and satellite-based rainfall analysis related to monsoon systems.

Ph.D. - Physics (Satellite Meteorology) - Andhra University (2016)

M.Sc. - Physics (Electronics Specialization) - Berhampur University (2008)

B.Sc. (Hons.) - Berhampur University (2005)