Prof. Ashok Kumar Singhvi is a Honorary Scientist, Atmospheric, Molecular and Optical Physics Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad , Gujarat.
Prof. Singhvi did his MSc from Jodhpur University and PhD in Nuclear Physics from IIT Kanpur in 1976. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Geosciences Group at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Navrangpura. He joined there as Research Associate and presently continues as Outstanding Scientist and Dean. His work at PRL marked a distinct change from hyperfine interaction, Mossbauer spectroscopy and nuclear reactions to luminescence spectroscopy of minerals, geochronology and paleoclimatology. He has been a Ford Foundation Fellow, Oxford and St. Louis; A.v. Humboldt Fellow, Heidelberg, Leverhulme Fellow, Sheffield, DFG Professor, Freiberg, Academy Professor, Sao Paulo, and Visiting Professor, United States Geological Survey, Denver.
Prof. Singhvi established an internationally acclaimed luminescence dating laboratory in India and contributed extensively to the paleoclimate studies in India. He pioneered the luminescence dating of desert sands and provided an understanding of the time evolution of deserts across the world. His work has changed many conventional concepts dealing with the interpretation of sediment record with respect to climate. He has pioneered several other applications of this method to deserts sequences, earthquake geochronology and glaciers. Dr Singhvi has helped establish nine luminescence dating laboratories in India and four overseas. He led two International Geological Correlation Programmes for UNESCO, dealing with deserts, paleo monsoons and evolution. He has been Member of the Science Programme Committee of UN sponsored International Year of Planet Earth and of the Executive Board of the Scientific Steering Committee of IGBP- PAGES core project.
