The International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) has elected Prof. Sunil Kumar De of Department of Geography, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong as its ninth president for the term 2022-2026.
His contestant was Prof. Susan Conway from the United Kingdom. It was a close contest. Out of 41 valid countries Prof. De bagged the support of 21 countries.
The election was held on September 152 in the University of Coimbra, Portugal during the 10th International Conference on Geomorphology.
Prof. De was elected as the President of the IAG for the first time not only from India, but also from Asia. He replaces Prof. Mauro Soldati of the University of Modena, Italy, who is widely known for his scientific research on the Impact of climate change on landslides.
Prof. De specialised in environmental geomorphology, geomorphological hazards and river health. He was the co-chairman of the International Working Group on Geomorphological Hazards of IAG.
He has been sincerely promoting Indian geomorphology on the international platform since 2001 and he has also been promoting Indian young geomorphologists internationally.
Prof. De is also the Secretary of Foreign Matters of the Indian Institute of Geomorphologists (IGI), a research organisation having its headquarter in the Department of Geography, University of Allahabad.
He also founded the Indian Institute of Geomorphologists – Young Geomorphologists Forum (IGI-YGF) in 2018 which is treated as the most active group in the world outside Europe.
In the discipline of Geography, Prof. S P Chatterjee was elected as the President of the International Geographical Union (IGU) in 1968. It took 58 years for India to get this highest post in an allied organisation.
After that, Prof. Md Shafi of Aligarh Muslim University and Prof. R B Singh of Delhi University became the vice presidents of the IGU.
The Indian Institute of Geomorphologists has congratulated Prof. De for being elected as India’s first president of the IAG.
For NEHU this is important as Prof. De has been elected to this position in the golden jubilee year of the university.
The IAG is the premier international organisation of professional geomorphologists of the world and is dedicated to improving and propagating the research in geomorphology.
It was established in 1985 in Manchester, United Kingdom with Prof. Denys Brunsden as its first president. The official objective of the IAG as stated in its various publications is the development and promotion of geomorphology as a science through international cooperation and dissemination of knowledge of geomorphology.
At present, 61 countries are affiliated to the IAG through their national scientific members.
Geomorphology is the area of study leading to an understanding of and appreciation for landforms and landscapes of all scales, including those on continents and islands, those beneath the oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers and other water bodies, as well as those on the terrestrial planets and moons of the solar system.
Originally evolved as a sub-discipline of geography, geomorphology has now emerged as an important part of Earth Sciences that significantly contributes to the understanding and management of a large number of environmental issues.
Geographers, land use specialists, geologists, hydrologists, engineers, oceanographers, environmental scientists, ecologists and archaeologists are increasingly using geomorphological concepts and techniques to address them.
