Prashant Baral

As Cryosphere Analyst, Dr. Prashant Baral designs and implements research focused on permafrost distribution using remote sensing, machine learning and data collected in the field. He joined ICIMOD in August 2021 as a research consultant and took on his current role in 2023. Prior to this, he worked as a Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) Research Associate and on a pilot study assessing the impacts of permafrost thaw in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).

Prashant is one of the authors of the chapter ‘Consequences of climate change for the cryosphere in the HKH’ in the ‘Water, ice, society, and ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HI-WISE) assessment report’, and a member of, and resource person for, ICIMOD’s organizing committee for regional trainings and conferences on the cryosphere.

Prashant holds a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering (Geographic Information System) from NIIT University in Rajasthan, India. He got his master’s degree (Master of Science by research) in glaciology under the Cryosphere Monitoring Project implemented by ICIMOD and Kathmandu University. He was also selected for a mentoring and training programme of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for Early Career Mountain Researchers.