Brief Profile
Dr. Sijin Kumar A.V. obtained his Master’s degree in Geology from Kannur University, where he was awarded the Gold Medal, and his Ph.D. from the CSIR–National Institute of Oceanography, Goa.
He began his academic career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research in Geology, Government College Kasaragod, in 2007, and later joined the Central University of Kerala in August 2016. Before entering academia, he served as a Scientific Officer-C at the Department of Atomic Energy, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Hyderabad).
Dr. Sijin Kumar was awarded the Prestigious Raman Fellowship and worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor (Research) / Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, USA (2014–2015). He also held a short-term Postdoctoral Fellowship at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Germany under the FLAIR Short-Term Visit Programme (2016).
He is currently a member of the Science Party of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 403, which explored Arctic paleoceanography in the Eastern Fram Strait aboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution.
Dr. Sijin Kumar’s research focuses on reconstructing late Quaternary Indian monsoon variability and paleoceanographic changes in the Indian and Arctic Oceans using microfossils (pteropods, planktonic and benthic foraminifera) and geochemical proxies (stable isotopes and trace metal chemistry of carbonate shells). His interests further extend to ocean acidification studies, microplastic and emerging contaminant distribution in marine sediments, and their potential implications for marine ecosystems and climate feedbacks.
Through an integrated approach combining sediment records, geochemical analyses, and climate model simulations, his work seeks to unravel the causes and mechanisms of past and present ocean–climate interactions to better anticipate future environmental changes.
Education
| Degree | College Name | Year Of Passing |
|---|
| Ph.D. | CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography | 2012 |
| Post Graduation | Kannur University | 2003 |
| Graduation | Kannur University | 2001 |
| Others | UGC-NET LS | 2003 |
| Others | Brown University, USA, Post doctoral Research | 2015 |
Experience
| Employer Name | Designation | Start From | End To |
|---|
| The Director, The Atomic Mineral Directorate AMD-DAE, GOI | Scientific Officer C | 2007 | 2007 |
| The Director, Collegiate Education, Govt f Kerala | Assistant Professor | 2007 | 2016 |
| Brown University, USA | Post Doctoral Fellow | 2014 | 2015 |
| GEOMAR, Germany | Post Doc Researcher | 2016 | 2016 |
Recent and Major Publications
- Jayan, A.K., Sijinkumar, A.V., Thirumalai, K., Vetter, L., Kurian, P.J., Prajith, A. and Sharma, R., 2025 (2025). "Did Globigerinoides ruber (pink) disappear entirely from the Indian Ocean after 120 kyr BP?.". Marine Geology, p.107656
- Aravind, G.H., Mahidev, R.S., Rafaz, A.K., Sandeep, K., Sijinkumar, A.V. and Warrier, A.K.,2025 (2025). "Spatio-temporal variation of microplastics during the past four decades in a lacustrine sedimentary environment in southern India.". Journal of Sedimentary Environments, pp.1-17.
- Reshma, K.V., Jayan, A.K., Bikkina, S., Sijinkumar, A.V., Venkateshwarlu, M., Jose, J., Rafaz, A.K., Kurian, P.J., Sharma, R. and Sandeep, K, 2025 (2025). "Terrigenous influx from Peninsular Indian Rivers in response to climatic variability since the last Glacial Maximum". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, p.113233.
- Gayathri, N.M., Sreevidya, E., Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Sandeep, K., Kurian, P.J., Pankaj, K, 2025 (2025). "Last 15 ka record of water column changes associated with Indian summer monsoon variability from the northeastern Bay of Bengal". Quaternary International, 723, 109713
- Aravind, G.H., Rafaz, A.K., Sandeep, K., Badesab, F., Warrier, A.K., Sijinkumar, A.V., Sharma, R., Mahesh, B.S., Karunakara, N., Kumara, K.S. and Srinivas, R., 2024 (2024). "A multi-proxy lacustrine sedimentary record of sub-decadal to decadal scale variability of monsoon during the late Holocene in southern India". Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 270, 106196
- Sreevidya, E., Mascarenhas-Pereira, M.B.L., Nath, B.N., Sijinkumar, A.V. and Kumar, P, 2024 (2024). "Shell size variation of pteropod Heliconoides inflatus: inferences on Indian Ocean carbonate chemistry during late Quaternary". Geo-Marine Letters, 44(2), p.10
- Reethu, M., R. Biswajit, G. H. Aravind, A. K. Rafaz, K. Sandeep, A. V. Sijinkumar, and Anish Kumar Warrier, 2023 (2023). "A first report on the spatial and temporal variability of microplastics in coastal soils of an urban town in south-western India: Pre-and post-COVID scenario". Marine Pollution Bulletin, 190, 114888
- Sreevidya, E., Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Ammoose, K.J., Kurian, P.J., Pankaj, K., Sreelakshmi, M.M., Shravan, S, 2023 (2023). "A ∼ 50 kyr record of carbonate (pteropods) preservation from the Laccadive Sea, Northern Indian Ocean". Marine Geology, 455, 106958
- Sarunlal, M.A., Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Sandeep, K., Badesab, F, 2022 (2022). "Environmental magnetic records of the sediments from the Andaman Sea: Evidence for late Quaternary changes in provenance and monsoon". IEEE Xplore, doi: 10.1109/OCEANSChennai45887.2022.9775135.
- 2. Gayathri, N.M., Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Sandeep, K., Wei, K.Y, 2022 (2022). "A ~ 30 kyr sub-centennial to millennial Indian summer monsoon variability record from the southern Andaman Sea, northeastern Indian Ocean". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 590, 110865
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Sreerekh, P., 2021 (2021). "Late Quaternary carbonate preservation in the Andaman Sea versus the Central Indian Basin: A test of dissolution under diverse oceanographic settings in the Indian Ocean". Quaternary International, JQI8921
- Sreevidya, E., Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N. (2021). "Palaeoceanographic significance of aragonitic pteropods in the Indian Ocean - A review". Boreas, DOI: 10.1111/bor.12540
- Ammoose K.J., Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N. (2021). "Paleoceanographic significance of Globigerinoides ruber (white) morphotypes from the Andaman Sea". Marine Micropaleontology, 165, 101996
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Clemens, S., Gayathri, N.M., Miriyala, P. (2021). "Late Quaternary record of Indian Summer Monsoon induced stratification and productivity collapse in the Andaman Sea". Journal of Quaternary Science , 36, 298-310
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Vinodkumar, K.B. (2020). "Scanning electron microscopic studies of fossil pteropods from the Andaman Sea: Inferences on carbonate dissolution". PINSA, 2020, vol. 86
- E. Sreevidya, A.V. Sijinkumar, B. Nagender Nath (2019). "Aragonite pteropod abundance and preservation records from the Maldives, Equatorial Indian Ocean: Inferences on past oceanic carbonate saturation and dissolution events.". Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Palaeoceanography, 2019, vol. 534, 109313
- Tyson Sebastian, B.Nagender Nath, M.Venkateshwarlu, P. Miriyala, A. Prakash, P. Linsy, M. Kocherla, A. Kazip, A.V. Sijinkumar (2019). "Impact of the Indian Summer Monsoon variability on the source area weathering in the Indo-Burman ranges during the last 21 kyr – A sediment record from the Andaman Sea". Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Palaeoceanography, 2019, vol. 516, 22-34
- Taniya J. Koswatta, X. Deng, A.V. Sijinkumar and H.P. Borgaonkar (2017). "Effort to Enhance Paleoclimatic Research in South Asia". PAGES Magazine, 25 (2), 126
- P. Miriyala, N. P. Sukumaran, B. Nagender Nath, P. B. Ramamurty, A. V. Sijinkumar, B. Vijayagopal, V. Ramaswamy & Tyson Sebastian (2017). "Increased chemical weathering during the deglacial to mid-Holocene summer monsoon intensification". Nature Scientific Reports, 2017, 7:44310
- D. Gebregiorgis, E.C. Hathorne, A.V. Sijinkumar, B. N. Nath, D. Nürnberg, M. Frank (2016). "South Asian summer monsoon variability during the last∼ 54 kyrs inferred from surface water salinity and river runoff proxies". Quaternary Science Reviews, 2016, vol. 138, 6-15
- Sijinkumar, A.V., S. Clemens, B. N. Nath, W. Prell, R. Benshila, Matthieu Lengaigne (2016). "δ18O and salinity variability from the Last Glacial Maximum to Recent in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea". Quaternary Science reviews, 2016, vol. 135, 79-91
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N., Clemens, S (2016). "Rapid climate changes in the North Atlantic is reflected in the foraminiferal abundance in the Andaman Sea". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoceanography, 2016, vol. 446, 11-18
- Sijinkumar, A.V., B. N. Nath, M. V. S. Guptha, S. M. Ahmad, B. R. Rao (2015). "Timing and preservation mechanism of deglacial pteropod spike from the Andaman Sea, north-eastern Indian Ocean.". Boreas, 2015, vol. 44, 432-444
- SIJINKUMAR , A.V., SANDEEP, K., N. SHINU, V. MEGHA, C. SHYAMINI, K. R. SREENI, K. SUVARNA (2014). "A preliminary assessment of environmental impacts due to bauxite and laterite mining in Karindalam and Kinanur, southern India". International Journal of Conservation Science, 2014, vol. 5, 235-242
- SIJINKUMAR, A.V., K. SANDEEP, N. SHINU, V. MEGHA, C. SHYAMINI, K. R. SREENI, K. SUVARNA (2014). "Bauxite and alumina rich laterite deposits of Karindalam and Kinanur area, Kasaragod: mining and environment.". Proceedings of the 26th Kerala Science Congress, 2014
- Nath, B.N., Sijinkumar, A.V., D. V. Borole, S. M. Gupta, L. P. Mergulhao, M. B. L. Mascarenhas‐Pereira, V. Ramaswamy, M. V. S. Guptha, G. Possnert, A. Aldahan, N. H. Khadge, R. Sharma (2013). "Record of carbonate preservation and the Mid-Brunhes climatic shift from a seamount top with low sedimentation rates in the Central Indian Basin". Boreas, 2013, vol. 42, 762-778
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N. (2013). "Impact of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on preservation of pteropod shells: looking from the past to present". GCK Science Letters , 2013, vol. 2, 17-24
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N. (2013). "Radiocarbon dating of late Quaternary sediments: reservoir correction and calibration". GCK Science Letters , 2013, vol. 3, 14-23.
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N. (2012). "‘Indian Ocean monsoon variability for the past 50,000 years: newer evidences from the Andaman Sea". Proceedings of the International conference on "Opportunities and Challenges in Monsoon Prediction i, 2012
- Sijinkumar, A.V., Nath, B.N. (2012). "Planktic foraminifera: A potential proxy for paleoclimatic / paleoceanographic studies". GCK Science Letters, 2012, vol 1, 22-30
- Sijinkumar, A.V., B. N. Nath, G. Possnert, A. Aldahan (2011). "Pulleniatina Minimum Events in the Andaman Sea (NE Indian Ocean): Implications for winter monsoon and thermocline changes.". Marine Micropaleontology, 2011, vol. 81, 88-94
- Sijinkumar, A.v., B. N.Nath, M.V.S. Guptha (2010). "Late Quaternary record of pteropod preservation from the Andaman Sea". Marine Geology, 2010, vol 275, 221- 229
- Alagarsamy, R., C.-F.You, B.N. Nath, A.V. SijinKumar (2010). "Determination of rare earth, major and trace elements in authigenic fraction of Andaman Sea (Northeastern Indian Ocean) sediments by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry". Microchemical Journal, 2010, vol 94, 90-97
Research Projects Undertaken
| Project Title | Project Type | Commencement Year | Completion Year | Funding Agency |
|---|
| 1. Reconstruction of the paleo-ocean acidification and water column structure using aragonite and calcite zooplankton from the north-eastern Indian Ocean | ANRF-CRG | 2024 | 2027 | ANRF |
| IODP 403 Eastern Fram Strait Paleo Archive | Grant in Aid | 2024 | 2024 | MoES-IODP INDIA, NCPOR |
| Investigations on foraminiferal abundance in the late Quaternary sediments of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea for paleo monsoon reconstruction | Early Career Research Grant | 2017 | 2020 | SERB New Delhi |
| Fossil pteropods abundance/preservation in the late Quaternary sediments of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea: inferences on paleoclimate | Startup Grant UGC | 2017 | 2019 | UGC |
Awards & Honours
- Honour - Member, International Research Expedition on board Research Vessel Academic Boris Petrove (2006 & 2009) and Merit certificate for Crossing EQUATOR four times.
- Awards - Best Research Paper Award - International Conference on "Opportunities and Challenges in Monsoon Prediction in a Changing Climate”, IITM, Pune 21-25 Feb 2012.
- Awards - 19. Awarded Summer Research Fellowship from Indian Academy of Science, 2012.
- Awards - Selected member for the PAGES 2nd Young Scientist Meet and 4th Open Science Meet
(Goa, 11-16 Feb 2013) PAGES, Switzerland.
- Awards - Best Research Paper Award - International Conference on ‘Changing Chemistry in Changing Climate: Monsoon (C4) held at IITM, Pune, 1-3 May 2013.
- Awards - Selected member “Policy Brief Writeshop for Early Career Researchers in South Asia” held at Kathmandu, Nepal, from 1-3 May 2014.
- Awards - PAGES Travel Grant for presenting paper at International Holocene Workshop, Mt. Hood, USA, 13-16, Oct 2014.
- Awards - UGC-Raman Fellowship for Post-Doctoral Research at Brown University, Providence, USA, 2014-2015.
- Awards - FLAIR Short Term Researcher Fellowship to GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany, Feb 2016.
- Awards - Asia Pacific Network PDTW fellowship, Bhutan, Dec 2016
- Awards - Third Runner-Up of the Indian Youth Poster Competition of the Asia Pacific- Network for Global Change Research, New Delhi, 26-27 April 2017.
- Awards - UGC Start-up Grant worth 10 lakh from UGC, New Delhi, March 2017.
- Awards - Awarded PAGES Travel Grant for presenting paper at PAGES 5th Open Science Meet held at Zaragoza, Spain, 9-13, May 2017.
- Awards - DST-SERB Early Career Research Award worth 36 Lakh, June 2017.
- Awards - INQUA-PAGES International Travel Grant for presenting paper at INQUA- PAGES workshop on Sea level change held at Utrecht University, Netherlands, 26-29 Aug 2018.
- Awards - SERB International Travel Grant to present research paper in the 13th International conf. on Paleoceanography held at UNSW, Sydney, Australia, 02-07, Sept. 2019.
- Awards - Prof. Madhavapanicker Endowment award for securing First Rank in M.Sc. Geology.
- Awards - Kannur University gold medal winner for securing Ist Rank in M.Sc. Geology, 2003.
Miscellaneous
| Membership/Fellowship of other institutions/professionals societies : |
Member, Association of Quaternary Research India AOQR
Member, The Oceanography Society (TOS), M.D., USA
Life member, Geological Society of India, Bangalore.
Associate member of Society of Earth Scientists, Lucknow.
Member, Indian Meteorological Society, New Delhi.
Life Member, Paleontological Society of India, Lucknow.
|
| Student related co-curricular, extension and field based activities and counseling. |
Co-ordinator, International Earth Science Olympiad, Test Centre: Kasaragod (Since 2013).
|
| Contribution to corporate sector-management of the department and institution through participation in academic and administration,committees and responsibilities.
|
Board of Studies Member Geology (PG and UG), Kannur University (2011-2013).
13. Chairman, Board of Examiners (M.Sc. Geology) Kannur University (Jan- Aug, 2016).
Chairman, Board of Examiners (B.Sc. Geology) Kannur University (2013-2014).
Board of Studies Member Geology, Manipal University.
Board of Studies Member Geology, Christ College Autonomous.
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| Other activities/Responsibilities : |
Reviewer for research articles in -
Nature Geoscience, Paleo-3, Quaternary Science Reviews, Journal of Asian Earth Science, Geo Marine Letters Marine Micropaleontology, Micropaleontology, JESS etc.
• Co-ordinator, National Knowledge mission and All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), Govt. College Kasaragod (2014-2016).
• NSS programme Officer, Govt. College Kasaragod (2008-2009).
• NCC Officer, Govt. College Kasaragod (2009-2011).
• Co-ordinator, International Earth Science Olympiad, Test Centre Govt. College Kasaragod (since 2011).
• Staff Club office bearer, Govt. College Kasaragod for the period of 2012 to 2013.
• Master Trainer for training the enumerators for Census 2011
• Observer, Kerala Engineering and Medical Entrance Examination, 2013
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| Any other relevant information, if not given above : |
1. Scientific team member of 26th Indian Scientific Expedition Onboard Academic Boris Petrove to Central India Ocean Basin (34 days) Nov-Dec, 2006.
2. Scientific team member 37th Indian Scientific Expedition Onboard Academic Boris Petrove to Central India Ocean Basin (34 days) Sept-October, 2009.
3. Participated in several short-term cruises to Arabian Sea, Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.
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