Akash Kumar Jaiswal is serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences at the TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI-SAS). His academic journey with TERI-SAS is distinguished by his progression from Guest Faculty to his current academic role, where he continues to bridge the gap between theoretical ecology and practical conservation. He holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management from GGS Indraprastha University, where he graduated with first-division honours.
Mr Akash has developed a specialised expertise in ecology, particularly in restoration and acoustic ecology. His work frequently utilises computational analysis in R and Python to process large-scale acoustic datasets. During his previous engagement as a Research Associate with The Rewilders, he conducted foundational biodiversity monitoring to assess restoration success across several projects in the Northern Aravalis. His research contributions have been featured in peer-reviewed journals. He has also presented his research findings at various international conferences. His broader research interests encompass restoration ecology, urban wildlife ecology, and acoustic ecology, with a focus on developing data-driven insights for biodiversity monitoring.
Beyond academics, Mr Akash is an active science communicator and educator. He has trained and educated non-scientific communities about field ecology through several workshops and public talks while working with the Rewilders. Outside of his professional and academic pursuits, he is an enthusiast of the natural world and active lifestyles. His personal interests include birdwatching and nature photography, as well as hiking, trekking, climbing, and bouldering.
Publications:
1. Challéat, S., Farrugia, N., et al. … Jaiswal, A. (2024). A dataset of acoustic measurements from soundscapes collected worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific Data, 11(1), 928. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03611-7
2. Singh, M., Jaiswal, A., Ulman, Y., & Kumar, K. (2019). Vocal adjustments in Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) at noisy habitats. Acta Acustica united with Acustica, 105(2), 294-300. https://doi.org/10.3813/AAA.919312
3. Jaiswal, A., & Bhattacharya, P. (2013). Fuelwood dependence around protected areas: A case of Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Human Ecology, 42(2), 177-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/09709274.2013.11906592
Newsletters
1. Prakash, S., Maurya, C. B., Prakash, V., Singh, S., & Jaiswal, A. (2022). Butterfly Diversity of Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, Delhi-India: A long-term pioneer study. “Special issue on butterfly diversity in JNU campus”, ENVIS RP: Geodiversity & Impact on Environment, 26(4), 2-18.
Books
1. Sharma, J.P. & Jaiswal, A. (2014). “Prachi Live with Nature: A Book on Environmental Studies”. A series of six textbooks from Primer to Class V on Environmental Studies (EVS), Prachi India Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.
- Newton-Bhabha Fund UK PhD Placements Programme 2019 to visit and work in the Machine Listening Lab at the Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London, UK, on automated bird sound recognition in audio recordings using machine learning techniques.
- Acoustic Society of America (ASA) Student Sponsorship 2018 to attend and present at the first African Bioacoustics Conference 2018 at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
- Bioacoustics Equipment Grant 2018-19 from K Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, to carry out acoustic sampling for doctoral research.
- National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) for Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship in Environmental Sciences 2013 for doctoral research.
