Davender Sethi
New Delhi
Summary
Dr. Davender Sethi is an Atmospheric Scientist and Environmental Data Scientist with expertise in air quality, aerosol–climate interactions, environmental AI/ML, remote sensing, and predictive modeling. He has extensive experience in developing decision-support systems, source apportionment frameworks, environmental sensor networks, and climate-relevant research through positions at IIT Kanpur and Airawat Research Foundation. His research focuses on integrating atmospheric science, data analytics, and artificial intelligence to address challenges related to climate change, environmental sustainability, and air quality management.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Scientist
Airawat Research Foundation
07.2025 - Current
- Developed AI-assisted Dynamic Hyperlocal Source Apportionment (DHSA) models by integrating Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (CAAQM) and low-cost sensor observations for urban air quality assessment.
- Processed and analyzed multi-source atmospheric datasets, including ground-based measurements, satellite observations, and meteorological data, within an AI-based Air Quality Decision Support System (AI-AQDSS).
- Performed quality assurance, calibration, and validation of gas sensor measurements using machine learning techniques to improve data quality and reliability.
- Developed generalized source apportionment models and integrated real-time India Meteorological Department (IMD) data into the AI-AQDSS platform.
- Contributed to research proposals, technical reports, and air quality management projects for national agencies, including CPCB, MoHUA, and DPCC.
- Center of Excellence for AI for Sustainable Cities, IIT Kanpur, India
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
03.2023 - 06.2025
- Conducted interdisciplinary research on aerosol chemical characterization, real-time source apportionment, and hyperlocal air quality assessment using advanced atmospheric measurements.
- Planned and executed mobile and fixed-site field campaigns, deploying and operating advanced atmospheric instrumentation, including HR-ToF-AMS, Xact-625i, Aethalometer (AE33), SMPS, OPS, gas analyzers, and meteorological sensors.
- Performed instrument calibration, routine maintenance, QA/QC, and operational verification to ensure reliable measurements during mobile laboratory deployments.
- Processed and analyzed high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometry data using SOFI and performed PMF/ME-2 analyses to identify and quantify primary and secondary aerosol sources.
- Integrated multi-instrument observations with low-cost sensor networks to investigate urban air pollution dynamics and source contributions.
- Developed automated Python workflows for atmospheric data processing, quality control, statistical analysis, and visualization of large environmental datasets.
- Co-developed an AI-assisted Dynamic Hyperlocal Source Apportionment (DHSA) framework for real-time source apportionment and urban air quality decision support.
- Disseminated research through peer-reviewed SCI publications, conference presentations, and collaborative interdisciplinary projects.
- Department of Civil Engineering, India
Ph.D. Research Scholar
CSIR–National Physical Laboratory
01.2015 - 01.2022
- Investigated the long-term variability of aerosol optical, physical, and radiative properties over the Indian western Himalayas using ground-based observations, satellite remote sensing, and atmospheric reanalysis datasets.
- Conducted atmospheric measurements using Aethalometer (black carbon), Beta Attenuation Monitor (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, PM₁), and Micro Pulse Lidar (MPL) following instrument calibration and QA/QC protocols.
- Processed and integrated MODIS, CALIPSO/CALIOP, ground-based, and meteorological datasets to characterize aerosol properties and validate satellite observations.
- Analyzed long-term atmospheric datasets using Python, MATLAB, and HYSPLIT to investigate aerosol variability, transport pathways, and regional climatology.
- Examined the impacts of biomass burning, dust transport, and anthropogenic emissions on aerosol characteristics and aerosol–radiation interactions.
- Disseminated research through peer-reviewed SCI publications, conference presentations, and collaborative atmospheric chemistry research projects.
- CSIR–NPL, New Delhi, India, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), India
Project Fellow / Project Assistant
CSIR–National Physical Laboratory
01.2012 - 01.2017
- Worked on the project 'Preparation of Energy Sector GHG Emission Inventory and Assessment of Heat Stress Vulnerability under Future Climate Change Scenarios in India.'
- Contributed to climate change impact assessment and Heat Stress assessment analysis.
- Worked on the CSIR network project 'Probing the Changing Atmosphere over the Himalayan and Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) Region.'
- Contributed to atmospheric observations, aerosol characterization, and analysis of long-term changes in atmospheric properties over the Himalayan and IGP environment.
- CSIR–NPL, New Delhi, India
Education
Ph.D. - Physical Science
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR)
New Delhi, India01-2022
M.Sc. - Applied Physics
Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines)
Dhanbad, India01-2012
B.Sc. (Hons.) - Physics
University of Delhi
India01-2010
Skills
- Environmental Data Science
- Artificial Intelligence
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Aerosol–Climate Interactions
- Air Quality Monitoring
- Air Quality Management
- Source Apportionment
- Environmental Analytics
- Remote Sensing
- Geospatial Data Analysis
- Environmental Monitoring Networks
- Sensor Systems
- Aerosol Chemical Characterization
- Aerosol Optical Characterization
- Atmospheric Trace Gas Measurements
- Decision Support Systems
- Climate Change Assessment
- Sustainability Assessment
- HR-ToF-AMS
- Xact-625i
- Aethalometer
- SMPS
- OPS
- Lidar
- Gas Analyzers
- EBAM
- Python
- MATLAB
- R
- Machine Learning
- Statistical Analysis
- Data Visualization
Custom
- Prof. S.N. Tripathi, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Postdoctoral Supervisor, snt@iitk.ac.in
- Dr. S.R. Radhakrishnan, Principal Scientist, CSIR NPL, New Delhi, PhD Supervisor, srradhakrishnan@gmail.com
- Dr. Panagiotis Kosmopoulos, Senior Researcher, Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens (IERSD/NOA), I. Metaxa & Vas. P. Penteli, 15236 Athens, Greece, Research Collaborator, pkosmo@meteo.noa.gr
- Prof. Mayank Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, III/176, Hauz Khas, New Delhi – 110016, India, Research Collaborator, kmayank@mech.iitd.ac.in
Timeline
Scientist
Airawat Research Foundation
07.2025 - Current
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
03.2023 - 06.2025
Ph.D. Research Scholar
CSIR–National Physical Laboratory
01.2015 - 01.2022
Project Fellow / Project Assistant
CSIR–National Physical Laboratory
01.2012 - 01.2017
Ph.D. - Physical Science
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR)
M.Sc. - Applied Physics
Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines)
B.Sc. (Hons.) - Physics
University of Delhi