National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Rai Singh Kookana
PRAVASI FELLOW, ELECTED 2023

Born in Suli Khera (Punjab, now Haryana), India on 12 July 1957. Educated at Government High School, Bhattu Kalan, Haryana 1969-73;at Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Hisar 1973-80; at the University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth, Australia 1985-89. B.Sc. (Honours) Agriculture 1978; M.Sc. (Soil Science) 1980; Ph.D. (Soil Science) 1989.

Assistant Scientist 1980-85, HAU Hisar.Research Officer1989-92, UWA, Australia. Research Scientist1992-96, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Australia.Sr. Research Scientist 1996-2001, CSIRO Australia. Principal Research Scientist 2001-06, CSIRO Australia.Sr. Principal Research Scientist 2006-12, CSIRO Australia. Chief Research Scientist 2012-23, CSIRO Australia. Affiliate Professor, 2011-to date, The University of Adelaide, Australia.

Awards/Honours: Commonwealth Fellowship of Australia for Ph.D. studies in Australia, 1985-1989. J.A. Prescott Medal by Australian Society of Soil Science, 2016.The CSIRO Medal for Lifetime Achievement, 2021. Member Crop Protection Committee of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), 2014- to date. Chair, Organising Committee for“Whats in Our Water”series of conferences, 2015-25. Vice President, IUPAC Division of Chemistry and the Environment, 2016-18. President, IUPACDivision of Chemistry and the Environment, 2018-20.Appreciation of Service Award by IUPAC, 2019. Member of The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), 2020-24; Titular Member IUPAC, 2022-24. Associate Editor, Soil Research; Member Editorial Board, Soil and Environmental Health 2023-24.Member Editorial Board, Jal Vimarsh: A Journal of Water Dialogues for Development, Sustainability and Social Well-being 2025 to date.

Fellow: Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) 2005. Soil Science Society of America, 2012.Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Australia, 2023-24.

Research Areas: Environmental Chemistry; Fate and Effects of Pesticides and otherOrganic Contaminants in the Environment, including Enodcrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs), Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS); Ecological Risk Assessment of Chemicals; Risk Mitigation and Remediation;Soil Environmental Science; Water Management

Address: 19 Fergusson Avenue, Craigburn Farm, SA 2051, Australia; [Tel: Cell: +61 408859536; Email: Kookana@gmail.com]