About the Team

Dr. Jagadeesh is a Geospatial and GIS expert with a Doctorate in Geology and over 20 years of professional experience across diverse sectors. His work spans urban planning, oil and gas, environmental and forest resource management, and large-scale infrastructure development, giving him an unusually broad base of applied spatial science experience.

Sector experience: He has contributed to major master planning initiatives, enterprise GIS systems, and complex geospatial data projects in India and the Middle East. His expertise includes spatial analysis, geodatabase design and management, remote sensing, and GIS-based decision support systems for planning and operations across industries.

For Oikos: Dr. Jagadeesh combines strong domain knowledge in geology with advanced GIS capabilities to deliver accurate, data-driven, and scalable spatial solutions for our environmental projects. His work underpins the mapping, corridor analysis, habitat delineation, and regulatory spatial data that Oikos's biodiversity assessments, WCMPs, and restoration projects require.

Arun is a dedicated plant taxonomist with over 6 years of experience and a deep passion for plant diversity and conservation. His work focuses on floristic studies, plant taxonomy, and biodiversity documentation through extensive research and field-based exploration across India's diverse ecosystems.

Research contributions: He has contributed to scientific publications and the development of floristic databases, supporting both regional and global conservation efforts. His work reflects a strong commitment to advancing the understanding of plant diversity, taxonomy, and conservation through rigorous field botany and ecological research.

Field presence: An avid plant photographer and field explorer, Arun is driven by a curiosity to discover and document botanical wealth, from the smallest mosses and herbs to towering forest trees. His field identification skills are particularly valuable for Oikos projects requiring precise species-level documentation in biodiversity assessments and ecological restoration planning.

Deepak is an emerging environmental professional with expertise in wildlife research, biodiversity assessment, and ecological field studies. With hands-on experience at the Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), he has worked on projects involving wildlife impact assessment, mangrove ecology, and environmental awareness programmes.

Field skills: His fieldwork includes field data collection, vegetation surveys, camera trapping, and research support for wildlife conservation and ecosystem analysis projects. He has strong skills in GIS application for wildlife and habitat mapping, combining spatial analysis with ground-truth field surveys.

Community engagement: Deepak has contributed to environmental education initiatives under the National Green Corps, engaging with schools and communities to promote sustainability and ecological awareness. This breadth, ranging from technical fieldwork to public engagement, reflects the integrated approach Oikos brings to every project.

Dr. Bedamatta is an accomplished environmental economist with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of ecological economics, natural resource management, and sustainable development. His doctoral research at the Institute for Social and Economic Change focused on the economic analysis of natural resources and common property systems within the context of sustainability.

Academic background: He has served as an Assistant Professor at both the Institute for Social and Economic Change and PES University, and is currently a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Environment and Social Concerns. His professional engagements include collaborations with the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

Technical expertise: Dr. Bedamatta's work is grounded in ecosystem service valuation, climate adaptation strategies, and policy-oriented research on rural livelihoods and resource governance. He has led and contributed to analytical studies on wetland ecosystems, small-scale fisheries, and social protection systems, applying economic frameworks to address environmental and developmental challenges.

His strong grounding in policy analysis, quantitative methods, and interdisciplinary research supports evidence-based decision-making for sustainable development, particularly in the context of climate change, water resource management, and biodiversity conservation. At Oikos, he leads the economic analysis and socio-economic impact dimensions of projects requiring this expertise.

Rajeswari is an experienced consultant in Environment Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), with over 25 years of expertise spanning climate action, gender, and grassroots development. She has worked extensively at the intersection of environment, development, and social equity, building programmes that are technically rigorous and deeply community-rooted.

Current affiliations: She is currently associated with Mahila Housing SEWA Trust and Foundation for Ecological Security, and previously served for 15 years at the Centre for Environment Education — one of India's most significant institutions in environmental education and capacity building.

Focus areas: Her work focuses on climate resilience, gender-responsive development, and capacity building, with experience designing and implementing programmes across energy, water, waste, biodiversity, and urban systems. She is an active member of the InsuResilience Global Partnership, contributing to climate and disaster risk finance solutions for vulnerable communities.

Global platforms: Rajeswari has contributed to global platforms including UNFCCC COP engagements, Resilience Hub initiatives, and climate education frameworks. Her experience spans climate risk insurance for the urban poor, rural commons governance, and grassroots women's leadership, enabling inclusive solutions for climate adaptation and sustainable development.