About

Dr. Govind Singh is an academician, consultant and activist, who never misses an opportunity to advocate for the green cause. He is currently associated with the Jindal School of Environment & Sustainability (JSES) as Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, and Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. He also holds an Honorary Director position with the Delhi Greens NGO.

Govind has been an environmental youth leader from an early age. It was only natural that he grew up to obtain Master’s and PhD degrees in Environmental Studies. Govind completed his formal education at the University of Delhi (BSc, MSc, PhD) and continues to learn, along with his students, the complexities and marvels of the natural world!

Govind has taught over 2,000 students at the University of Delhi and has inspired and motivated many more for taking up a career in the service of Mother Nature. In 2008, he co-founded Delhi Greens as a youth-led environmental organisation and also played an instrumental role in kick-starting the Youth-Climate movement in India and South Asia. The first Delhi Youth Summit on Climate Change, organised by Govind in 2008, was followed by the launch of the first Delhi Climate Action Plan by the Delhi Govt the following year.

Govind loves to balance classroom teaching with field expeditions, be it for bird watching, planting seeds, visiting a wetland, learning from a forest or from a traditional community that depends on it. When not in the classroom, he can be found protecting natural and built heritage in Delhi, connecting with Eco-spirituality in the Himalayas or cruising the hills of North-east India for developing ecotourism and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

You can connect with him for sharing your experiences of spending time with Nature and for exchanging notes on all things natural. [Contact]

[Download one-page Bio-note of Dr. Govind Singh]

 

Career Objective

Working to promote environmental harmony and sustainable development by amalgamating traditional knowledge with contemporary environmental management principles.

 

Areas of Research Interest & Expertise

Water Resource Management, Environmental Pollution & Public Health, Environmental Management, Urban Ecology, Sustainable Development, Environmental Education, Disaster Management, ICT.

 

Educational Qualifications

  • July 2013: Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of Delhi.
  • 2005-2007: M.Sc. in Environmental Studies (First Division) from Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi.
  • 2002-2005: B.Sc. in Botany (First Division) from Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi.
  • June 2002: AISSCE (Class XII) (First Division) from Guru Harkirshan Public School (Vasant Vihar, New Delhi).
  • June 2000: AISCE (Class X) (First Division) from Guru Harkirshan Public School (Vasant Vihar, New Delhi).

Work Experience

Guest/ Visiting Faculty:

  • Jan-Apr 2019: Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Delhi School of Journalism, University of Delhi.
  • Aug-Nov 2018: Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Miranda House, University of Delhi.
  • Jan-Apr 2016: Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Delhi College for Arts and Commerce, University of Delhi.
  • Aug-Nov 2014: Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Miranda House, University of Delhi.

 

Detailed Biographic Sketch

Dr. Govind Singh is currently working as Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Jindal School of Environment & Sustainability (JSES), O.P. Jindal Global University, where he is also the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. He also holds the Honorary position of Director of Delhi Greens NGO since May 2018. Prior to this, Dr. Govind Singh was Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Indraprastha College for Women (IP College), University of Delhi from August 2014 until May 2018.

At IP College, Dr. Govind Singh taught Environmental Studies to students from different disciplines as part of a semester-long compulsory course (Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course, AECC). At IP College, Dr. Govind Singh initiated an interdisciplinary, biannual, peer-reviewed journal christened Journal of Innovation for Inclusive Development (JIID) and successfully Edited its first four editions. He also initiated a Tree Census and Labelling project in the IP College campus. He is currently editing the Journal of Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development (JIRSD), a second journal founded by him.

The implementation of the One-Semester compulsory course on Environmental Studies in all colleges of University of Delhi took place due to a judgement by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. Dr. Govind Singh has been involved in ensuring the implementation of this order and ensuring the effective adoption of Environment Education in DU. In 2014, Dr. Govind Singh became the first faculty and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies to be appointed by a constituent college of the University of Delhi. Miranda House was the first college to call for interviews for the AECC – Environmental Studies paper.

Dr. Govind Singh began his teaching career with the Cluster Innovation Centre in the University of Delhi (CIC, DU) in a similar capacity. At the Cluster Innovation Centre, Dr. Govind Singh taught Environmental Management to B.Tech students while also mentoring many of them on various innovative projects in the field of Environment, Technology and Sustainable Development. The work carried out by Dr. Govind Singh in CIC laid the foundation for the setting up of the Urban Ecology – Research & Action Laboratory, which runs action-based research projects for furthering our understanding towards making cities more inclusive and sustainable.

In 2007, Dr. Govind Singh Co-founded the Delhi Greens NGO, which was later legally registered as a non-profit organisation in 2008. Dr. Singh has been associated with Delhi Greens organisation since 2008 and is also the Founding-Editor of the award-winning Delhi Greens Blog project. The Delhi Greens Blog is Delhi’s first environmental blog project and an excellent model of using Information Communication & Technology (ICT) for generating environmental awareness and promoting environmental education in the masses. The Delhi Greens Blog project is recognized by the United Nations as a Lighthouse, Momentum for Change activity for fighting climate change.

Dr. Govind Singh has also played an instrumental role in initiating the youth climate movement in the country. He is the Co-founder of the Indian Youth Climate Network Trust and has successfully organised four Youth Summits (2008, 2010, 2013 and 2018) in the series of the Delhi Youth Summit on Climate (DYSoC). DYSoC is a pioneering initiative patronized by the Department of Environment, Government of NCT of Delhi.

Among several green innovation projects undertaken by Dr. Govind Singh, the conceptualisation and successful execution of a first-of-its-kind Urban Ecotour project in Delhi, supported by the Department of Environment, Government of NCT of Delhi, is noteworthy. The Delhi Greens Urban Ecotourism project seeks to explore the natural heritage of Delhi and re-connect the citizens of Delhi to the very ecosystem that supports them. It highlights lesser-known sites of ecological significance in the NCT of Delhi thereby ensuring their timely protection.

Dr. Govind Singh is also an Environmental Communicator and a Climate Project Presenter. In 2008, he was trained by former US Vice President Al Gore for effectively communicating the need for taking action for preventing climate change.

Dr. Govind Singh holds a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Studies from the Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi. His Ph.D. research work broadly focused on analyzing ground water quality in the NCT of Delhi from a sustainability perspective. Dr. Govind Singh also has an in-depth understanding of the Environmental History of Delhi. He is currently focusing on optimizing the water footprint and urban metabolism of Delhi NCT, and improving the urban planning paradigm of Delhi NCR.

Prior to his Ph.D., Dr. Govind Singh received his Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the School of Environmental Studies (now Department of Environmental Studies), University of Delhi. Dr. Govind Singh is the first batch student of the innovative M.A./ M.Sc. Environmental Studies course, which was initiated by the University of Delhi in 2005. Dr. Govind Singh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Botany from the University of Delhi. In addition, he has successfully completed several workshops and training programmes on environment and sustainable and inclusive development.