Neelesh Yadav

Accomplished Scientist with over 23 years of distinguished service in forest informatics, biodiversity informatics, bioinformatics, and digital transformation of forestry research within the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) ecosystem. Currently serving as Scientist-E at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, leading institutional ICT strategy, research data infrastructure development, and national-scale biodiversity information systems. Expertise encompasses database architecture, web technologies, GIS applications, remote sensing, and statistical bioinformatics to develop decision support systems, large-scale socio-economic and ecological data portals, and comprehensive digital platforms for natural history collections. Successfully led and contributed to multi-institutional research projects exceeding ₹600 lakh, including the nationally recognized NRAA (Govt. of India) data portal, DBT-funded Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (₹54.30 lakh), Centre of Excellence for Forest Genetic Resources databases, and multiple state-level forest flora and herbarium digitization initiatives. Pioneered first-of-its-kind systems in ICFRE including tree tomography software, online recruitment management platform, bilingual institutional websites, and India's first ICT-based forestry helpline (Vaniki Helpline), demonstrating strong innovation orientation, technical scalability, and policy relevance. Authored peer-reviewed publications in international journals, edited scholarly works for international publishers, produced comprehensive technical and policy reports, and delivered extensive capacity-building through 100+ training programs, workshops, and presentations at national and international forums. Current research interests focus on digital forestry, AI/ML-enabled species identification systems, climate change informatics, transcriptome analysis of economically important forest species, IoT integration for forest monitoring, and advanced geospatial analytics for evidence-based forest management and biodiversity conservation planning.

• Yadav, N. Software Data Portal of DPR on Forestry Intervention on Ganga. Presented at National Level Stakeholder's Meet on DPR Preparation of Forestry Interventions for Ganga (FIG), July 2-3, 2015, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. (294 participants)
• Yadav, N. Biodiversity Informatics in Forestry. Presented at One Week Training Programme on Climate Change and Carbon Mitigation, February 19-23, 2018, ICFRE Headquarters. (National level program)
• Yadav, N. Agroforestry for Rainfed Area in India. Presented at Brainstorming Workshop, October 24-26, 2017, National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), New Delhi.
• Yadav, N. NRAA Data Portal: Forest Resource Dependence and Ecological Assessment. Presented at Knowledge Dissemination Workshop - NRAA Project, July 28, 2017, Forest Informatics Division, FRI Dehradun. (Co-convener and presenter, 40 participants)
• Yadav, N. Annual Progress of Bioinformatics Centre, FRI. Presented at:
• XXVI BTISnet Annual Coordinators Meeting, February 3-4, 2015, Tirupati (National)
• 27th BTISnet Annual Coordinators Meeting, March 2016, Nanital-Bheemtal, Kumaun University (National)
• 28th BTISnet Annual Coordinators Meeting, February 3-4, 2017, Advances Centre for Treatment, Research & Education in Cancer, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai (National)
• 29th BTISnet Annual Coordinators Meeting, February 3-4, 2018, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari (National, Theme: Translational Bioinformatics)
• Poster Presentations
• Yadav, N. & Team. Forest Pathology Herbarium: Digital Inventory of Forest Diseases and Fungi. Presented at XIX Commonwealth Forestry Conference 2017, April 3-7, 2017, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. (International conference, 400 participants)
• Yadav, N. & Team. Forest Pathology Herbarium: Digital Inventory of Forest Diseases and Fungi. Presented at 9th Uttarakhand State Science & Technology Congress 2014-15, February 26-28, 2015. (Regional conference)
• Conference Organizing Committee Roles
• Team Leader (IT & Web Development): XIX Commonwealth Forestry Conference 2017 (International, 400 participants) - Developed comprehensive conference management system with live webcasting
• Team Member: Transforming Mountain Forestry Conference (In collaboration with ICOMOD Nepal and FRI Dehradun), January 18-22, 2015, FRI Dehradun (International, 400 participants)
• Member, Organizing Committee: National Summit on Climate Resilient Mountain Agriculture, May 2018, FRI Dehradun (National, 500 participants)

• Development of AI-based forest species information systems
• Integration of IoT sensors with forest management information systems
• Argentic AI for climate change impact assessment on forests
• Blockchain applications for forest produce traceability
• Advanced geospatial analytics for forest resource assessment

PEER REVIEWED RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

• Rakholia, S., Yosef, R., Yadav, N., Karimloo, L., Pleitner, M., & Kothari, R. (2025). TreeGrid: A spatial planning tool integrating tree species traits for biodiversity enhancement in urban landscapes. Animals, 15(13), 1844.
• Sahdev, S., Yosef, R., Rakholia, S., Mehta, A., & Yadav, N. (2024). Bidecadal analysis of urbanization effects and ecosystem services at Haldwani, Western Himalayas, India. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 33, 101125.
• Yadav, N., Rakholia, S., & Yosef, R. (2024). Decision support systems in forestry and tree-planting practices and the prioritization of ecosystem services: A review. Land, 13(2), 230.
• Yadav, N., Rakholia, S., Moore, P., Ponce-Calderón, L. P., S R, M. K., & Yosef, R. (2025). A Prototype Forest Fire Decision Support System for Uttarakhand, India. Fire, 8(4), 149.
• Yadav, N., Rakholia, S., & Yosef, R. (2024). A prototype decision support system for tree selection and plantation with a focus on agroforestry and ecosystem services. Forests, 15(7), 1219.
• Yadav, N., Rakholia, S., Ali, N., & Yosef, R. (2023). Fungal diversity and distribution in the biodiversity hotspots of the Western Himalayas. Diversity, 15(11), 1106.
• Mahajan, P., Tomar, S., Kumar, A., Yadav, N., Arya, A., & Dwivedi, V. D. (2020). A multi-target approach for discovery of antiviral compounds against dengue virus from green tea. Network Modeling Analysis in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics, 9, 1–10.
• Ali, N., Shamoon, A., Yadav, N., & Sharma, T. (2020). Peptide combination generator: A tool for generating peptide combinations. ACS Omega, 5(11), 5781–5783.
• Agrawal, S. P., Dwivedi, A., Yadav, N., & Kumar, R. (2016). Computational prediction of potential genes involved in different human diseases using C. elegans nucleotides. European Journal of Bioinformatics, 4(1), 13–16.
• Dubey, A., Agrawal, S. P., Yadav, N., & Kumar, R. (2016). Analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans via bioinformatics approaches based on their precursor statistics values. Journal of Next Generation Sequencing & Applications, 3(1), 1–5.
• Dubey, A., Agrawal, S. P., & Yadav, N. (2015). Evidences for big roles of miRNAs from Pristionchus pacificus to human targeted genes via bioinformatics approaches. American Journal of Biological Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 3(1), 1–15.
• Dubey, A., Yadav, N., & Kalra, S. S. (2014). Analysis of protein modeling for envelope glycoprotein GP120 for HIV via bioinformatics approaches. International Research Journal of Virology, 1(1), 2–6.

Book Edited

• Yadav, N. (Editor). (2017). miRNAs Functional Analysis of Genes through Bioinformatics Approach: Study of Genomic Function via miRNAs through Bioinformatics Platforms. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing. ISBN-10: 6202022485. Price: Rs. 4,752.00 (Available on Amazon India).

Technical Reports and Project Documentation

• National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) Project Final Reports (7 Volumes, 2017) - Team member for data analytics and report compilation
• DPR on Forestry Interventions of Ganga (2 Volumes, 2016-2017) - Contributed to data portal documentation
• Annual Progress Reports to BTISnet, Department of Biotechnology (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) - Bioinformatics Centre, FRI progress reporting
• CoEFGR Project Quarterly Progress Reports to MoEF&CC (Multiple reports, 2016-present)

Conference Proceedings and Abstracts

• Yadav, N. (Editor). (2017). Abstract Booklet, XIX Commonwealth Forestry Conference 2017. Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. (Served as Editorial and Technical Committee member)
• Yadav, N. (Editor). (2017). Programme Schedule Booklet, XIX Commonwealth Forestry Conference 2017. Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. (Served as Editorial and Technical Committee member)

As Convener / Course Coordinator

• Workshop on Research Reference & Bibliography Management (March 16, 2018, FRI Dehradun) - Regional level, 45 participants
• Google Earth Engine Training (February 2018, FRI Dehradun) - Institute level, 35 participants
• Forest-PLUS Learning Management System (LMS) Orientation (August 21, 2017, FRI Dehradun) - Institute level, 30 participants (USAID-supported initiative)

Training for administrators, faculty, and stakeholders

• Microsoft Excel 2016 Training (January 22-24, 2018, FRI Dehradun) - Institute level, 15 participants
• Hindi Typing Training Workshop (March 19-21, 2018, FRI Dehradun) - Institute level, 30 participants

As Master Trainer

• Online Forest Clearance Portal Training (2015-2016, Multiple locations)
• Master Trainer for MoEF&CC regional offices. National-level training program. Conducted 3 sessions at Nagpur, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Dehradun, 300+ participants (total across all sessions), Training subject: Online submission & monitoring of Environmental, Forest & Wildlife clearance proposals
• Faculty Development Programme on High Performance Computing (October 9-13, 2017) - IIT Mandi, Himachal Pradesh (National level, 20 participants)
• Hyperspectral Remote Sensing and its Application (February 19 to March 13, 2018) - EDUSAT course by Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehradun (Institute level)
• International Workshop on Data and Text Analytics (December 8-13, 2014) - International level, 40 participants
• National Workshop on Library Automation using Open Source ILMS KOHA (November 6-8, 2014) - University of Petroleum, Dehradun (National, 50 participants)
• Workshop on Scientific Paper Writing and Technological Empowerment of Women (June 17-18, 2014) - UCOST, Dehradun (Regional, 60 participants)

As Participant

• Faculty Development Programme on High Performance Computing, IIT Mandi (2017) - 20 participants
• Hyperspectral Remote Sensing and Applications, IIRS Dehradun (2018) - EDUSAT course
• International Workshop on Data and Text Analytics (2014) - International, 40 participants
• National Workshop on Library Automation using KOHA, University of Petroleum Dehradun (2014) - 50 participants
• Workshop on Scientific Paper Writing and Technological Empowerment of Women, UCOST Dehradun (2014) - 60 participants
• Summit on Climate Resilient Mountain Agriculture, FRI Dehradun (2018) - National, 500 participants

As Organizing Committee Member

• XIX Commonwealth Forestry Conference 2017 - Team Leader (IT & Web Development), International, 400 participants
• Transforming Mountain Forestry Conference (ICOMOD Nepal collaboration) - Team Member, International, 400 participants
• National Summit on Climate Resilient Mountain Agriculture - Member, National, 500 participants

I hereby declare that all the information provided above is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. (Neelesh Yadav) Scientist Forest Research Institute, Dehradun Place: Dehradun, Uttarakhand