Samir Dhurde - Personal Webpage

Astronomy Lover
and Communicator

Trained as a Radio Astronomer with a Masters in Physics, I have been professionally into Science and Astronomy Communication for more than fifteen years now. I love to share the excitement, practicalities and challenges of Science and Astronomy with everyone. I also do a lot of public events. Feel free to contact me in this context.

If you wish to introduce me conventionally and professionally, see the bios below. Otherwise, my personal actions on this planet are often unconventional - driven by free thinking and humanism. People who see me in different roles, also describe me as an avid cook, organic gardener, thrifty traveller, millennial father etc.

SHORT BIO | LONG BIO | CURRICULUM VITAE | PICTURES

Working while the stars shine

Yes, that is when you will find me most efficient. But in my day job, I am proudly part of one of India's most prolific public outreach programme in a research institute. My current work challenges involve communicating astronomy to the public / students and aiding amateur astronomers. In these pages (some are being edited), I am trying to collect together some of the things on my workbench right now.

TALKS

Hear some of my talks (online / offline).

EVENTS

Know about the events I have been a part of - get involved and / or invite me if you feel I could share something special at your event.

OBSERVATIONS

What am I and our team doing with our telescopes?

Major Associations

Thanks to the trust shown by these amazing organisations, I have been fortunate to gather extensive experience and network related to Astronomy outreach in India and abroad.

IUCAA

2005 - Present

As Scientific Officer incharge of public outreach at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, India, I lead a team in the design, development, and implementation of nationwide outreach events and required resources. Many of these are aimed at schools, universities and amateur astronomers.

IAU OAO

2011 - Present

As the current (since 2018) the National Outreach Coordinator (NOC) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for India, I work closely with the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) for coordination and dissemination of its large scale programmes at a national level. Previously I was Deputy NOC since 2011.

TMT WEPOC & INDIA-TMT

2013 - Present

I am the Indian representative at the Workforce, Education, Public Outreach & Communication (WEPOC) Board of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project, nominated by India-TMT. Under this, a number of educational and outreach initiatives prepare students for the future of science and technology jobs esp. in Astronomy.

ASI-POEC

2014 - Present

I am a founder member and Secretary of the Public Outreach & Education Committee (POEC) of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI). Through it, I work on national level campaigns to increase public interest, awareness, and understanding of Astronomy and to create channels of interaction with professional astronomers in India.

LIGO INDIA

2015 - Present

As one of the people behind the Education and Public Outreach efforts of LIGO India - an advanced gravitational-wave observatory - I co-lead a team in EPO activites in both rural and urban enviroments. The aim is to utilise the potential of the project to inspire a future generation of scientists and engineers.

SKA INDIA

2020 - Present

Working to make people aware of the Square Kilometer Array Observatory, the efforts of the Indian partners in it and the Indian achievements in Radio Astronomy - I, along with other Radio Astronomy colleagues contribute to resources and events creation via the SKA-India EPO WG. My current focus is school teachers and students.