Deepak Kumar Jha

My research is driven by curiosity to unravel the mechanisms through which climate has shaped evolution of Homo species in the Indian subcontinent. My Ph.D. research work at the Stable Isotope Laboratory of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, India, was oriented towards understanding the complex interaction between human and environment in India. I am utilising stable isotopic techniques (bulk and biomolecular level) to decipher changes in climatic conditions and their resultant effects on the prehistoric human population. I have also successfully applied the charcoal separation/identification from archaeological samples to understand the human-induced fire events and the role of fire in human evolution. I have utilised a suite of analytical instrumentation, e.g., Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS) coupled with (via Conflo and Dual-Inlet) Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS), Kiel IV Carbonate Device, Organic Elemental Analyzer, and Gas Bench to generate such proxy-based records for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.