Indian Scientists Roxy Mathew Koll and Neelima Satyam Win American Geophysical Union 2026 Awards

Key facts

• Indian scientists Roxy Mathew Koll and Neelima Satyam have been selected among the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2026 awardees for excellence and leadership in research, education, and innovation in advanced earth and space sciences.
• Koll, a Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (Yuva) awardee and climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, has been selected for the AGU's Pavel S. Molchanov Climate Communications Prize, which carries USD 25,000, an engraved award, and recognition.
• Koll was recognised for documenting the Indian Ocean's warming, its reshaping of monsoons, marine heatwaves, cyclones, extreme rainfall, and the impact on lives and livelihoods across South Asia.
• Satyam, a professor at IIT-Indore, has been selected for the AGU's Devendra Lal Memorial Medal, given annually to an early- or mid-career scientist for outstanding research in Earth and/or space sciences, and will receive an engraved medal and lifetime AGU membership.
• India-American scientist Abdul Qadir, an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Maryland, has been selected for the Science for Solutions award, while Faisal Hossain, a professor at the University of Washington Seattle, has been selected for the Ambassador Award.
• The AGU has announced 43 awards for 2026, which will be presented at its annual meeting in San Francisco in December.