Basanta Raj Adhikari, Nepal

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Basanta Raj Adhikari has received the "Young Affiliates Award" by the World Academy of Sciences - TWAS on 29th November, 2018 during the 28th Annual meeting, that was held in Trieste, Italy. He received this prestigious award for his outstanding contribution in the field of natural science. This award is given to those scientists who are 40 years of age or less and are living and working in a developing country for at least the past three years. Moreover they should be able to possess an excellent track record of at least 10 international publications in peer reviewed journals throughout this time span. Dr. Adhikari has completed his PhD degree at the University of Vienna, Austria in 2009 provided through the North-South Dialogue Scholarship program financed by the Austrian Development Cooperation. Currently he is working as an assistant professor in the Civil Engineering Department, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He has published more than 15 peer-reviewed journals, five books, two book chapters and many technical reports. Moreover, Dr. Adhikari is an outstanding researcher who has dedicated his research to find out the interaction between earthquake and landform with mega structures in the Nepal Himalaya. He is one of the authors of the outstanding research entitled "Repeated catastrophic valley infill following medieval earthquakes in Nepal Himalaya". The study has recorded medieval earthquakes in the sedimentary signature, which was a long hanging discussion in the Nepal Himalaya. Dr. Adhikari worked with more than 20 research teams around the globe just after the tragic Gorkha earthquake in 2015 and he has done tremendous research work in earth risk assessment and slope stability. Integrated Research on Disaster Risk has awarded him as a "Young Scientist" for his contribution in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction in developing countries.

Reflection

The North-South Dialogue program has opened my research career as a PhD student and made it possible to interact with different colleagues around the globe in Austria. The academic exchange program and discussions with eminent scientists have influenced me to think creatively and logically. I have learned about tools and techniques to understand the basic science that I am enhancing in my academic and research career. Different cultural programs among friends provided me to learn about different experiences from the different parts of the world. The natural beauty of Austria and the overwhelming love from the Austrian people are among the things which I will remember for all my life. I enjoyed Austrian music and good food a lot. Furthermore, the Austrian education system has influenced me a lot and I am trying to replicate it in my academic and professional life.