Assistant Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
📍 1F8 AB-1
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Research Area
Organic Geochemistry
Research Interests
I am a geologist specializing in Organic Geochemistry. The primary focus of my research is to decipher ancient biotic forms, paleo-ecosystems and petroleum systems. In particular, I am interested in organic molecular fossils (biomarkers) preserved in sediments for unravelling geochemical information on ancient microbes, flora and fauna across the geological time scale and assessment of energy resources.
2024 - 2025 : One Geo
2023 - 2024 : SERB Research Scientist
2023 - 2023 : Lecturer (on contract)
2022 - 2023 : Visiting Faculty IISER Mohali
2017 - 2022 : DST Inspire Faculty IISER Mohali
2016 - 2017 : Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellow Dept. of Botany, University of Calcutta
2015 - 2016 : Senior Project Technical Assistant IIT Bombay
2015 - 2015 : Research Associate IIT Bombay
2010 - 2015 : Ph.D. Organic Geochemistry, IIT Bombay
2007 - 2009 : M.Sc. Applied Geology, Presidency College, Kolkata
2004 - 2007 : B.Sc. Geology, Presidency College, Kolkata
2023 : SERB Research Scientist Fellowship, Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India
2017 : INSPIRE Faculty Award, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India
2016 : National Postdoctoral Fellowship, (not availed)
2016 : Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship, University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India
2012 : Bursary (for attending conference), The Geological Society of London
2009 : Junior Research Fellowship (NET), University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India
2009 : Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India
Sharmila Bhattacharya, Harsh Kishor, Yadav Ankit, Praveen K Mishra and Pradeep Srivastava. Vegetation history in a peat succession over the past 8,000 years in the ISM-controlled Kedarnath Region, Garhwal Himalaya: reconstruction using molecular fossils. Frontiers in Earth Science 9:703362, 2021. Sharmila Bhattacharya, Yadav Ankit, Srikanta Murthy and Vasudev Kushwaha. Biotic response to environmental shift during the Permian-Triassic transition: Assessment from organic geochemical proxies and palynomorphs in terrestrial sediments from Raniganj Sub- basin, India. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 576:110483, 2021. Sharmila Bhattacharya, Suryendu Dutta and Sumit Kumar. Identification of lanostanes, A-ring methylated steranes and secosteranes in late Neoproterozoic crude oils by GC$\times$ GC-TOFMS: New insights into molecular taphonomy of steroids. Geobios 68:47–59, 2021. Sharmila Bhattacharya, Mahasin Ali Khan, Sandip More, Dipak Kumar Paruya, Tapan Chakraborty, Subir Bera and Suryendu Dutta. Amber embalms essential oils: a rare preservation of monoterpenoids in fossil resins from Eastern Himalaya. Palaios 33(5):218–227, 2018. Sharmila Bhattacharya, Suryendu Dutta and Roger E Summons. A distinctive biomarker assemblage in an Infracambrian oil and source rock from western India: Molecular signatures of eukaryotic sterols and prokaryotic carotenoids. Precambrian Research 290:101–112, 2017. Sharmila Bhattacharya and Suryendu Dutta. Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian biota and ancient niche: A synthesis from molecular markers and palynomorphs from Bikaner-Nagaur Basin, western India. Precambrian Research 266:361–374, 2015. Suryendu Dutta, Sharmila Bhattacharya and Srinivasan V Raju. Biomarker signatures from Neoproterozoic–early Cambrian oil, western India. Organic geochemistry 56:68–80, 2013.