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Indian-American scientist earns Fulbright for Jharkhand cleanup project
Stevens University researcher will work with BIT Ranchi on restoring polluted land and water in Jharkhand.
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Ankita Baidya - Wed, 01, Jul 2026
- 05:20 EDT
- 40
Indian-American environmental scientist Dibyendu / Stevens Institute of Technology
Indian-American environmental scientist Dibyendu "Dibs" Sarkar, a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, has been named a Fulbright Specialist and will travel to India later this year to collaborate on environmental restoration research in Jharkhand.
Sarkar is among more than 400 U.S. citizens selected annually for the U.S. Department of State's Fulbright Specialist Program, which supports short-term international academic collaborations. According to Stevens Institute of Technology, he will spend a month at the Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Ranchi, working with faculty and students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering on a project titled Sustainable Environmental Remediation and Technology.
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The project will focus on addressing soil and groundwater degradation in Jharkhand, where decades of mining and industrial activity have contributed to widespread land degradation and contamination from arsenic, fluoride, and other pollutants.
For Sarkar, the assignment marks a return to the region where his academic journey began. He completed his senior geological fieldwork and master's thesis research in the Singhbhum belt while studying at the University of Calcutta in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"It feels more like a homecoming to me," Sarkar said, noting that his familiarity with the region's geology made the collaboration especially meaningful after faculty at BIT reached out to him.
After moving to the United States, Sarkar built a distinguished academic career, serving in faculty and leadership roles at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Montclair State University before joining Stevens Institute in 2016. He currently serves as professor of environmental engineering and is the founding director of both the Sustainability Management graduate program and the Stevens Center for Sustainability.
During his visit to India, Sarkar will conduct field assessments of contaminated river systems, oversee laboratory analysis of soil and water samples, and participate in workshops with students, researchers, government officials, and non-governmental organizations to develop practical remediation strategies. He will also lead faculty sessions on sustainability education and environmental governance.
Jean Zu, dean of the Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering and Science at Stevens, said the award reflects the university's commitment to applying engineering and scientific research to address global challenges.
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program operates in more than 160 countries and has supported over 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, and professionals through international educational and cultural exchange.
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