Dr Saurav Dutta
Saurav is a Palaeobiologist with the British Antarctic Survey’s Palaeo Environments, Ice Sheets and Climate Change (PICC) research team.
He utilizes taxonomic identification and geochemical analysis of Eocene and Oligocene fossil deposits to reconstruct ecological responses and adaptations of marine benthic fauna to climatic and environmental changes during Antarctica’s pivotal greenhouse to icehouse transition. His current research contributes to the interdisciplinary “Past, Present and Future of Unique Cold-Water Benthic Ecosystems in the Southern Ocean” project, advancing knowledge of how vulnerable polar marine ecosystems may respond to ongoing anthropogenic climate change.
He was awarded a PhD by IISER Kolkata for his thesis on shallow marine bivalve fauna responses to climatic and tectonic shifts during the Oligocene-Early Miocene period in Kutch, India. His research focused on geochronology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, sclerochronology and molluscan paleoecology. Subsequently, he completed postdoctoral research with the Natural and Experimental Geochemistry of the Environment group at The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat and Ben Gurion University of the Negev, investigating human impacts on Red Sea seagrass ecosystems and gaining extensive experience in benthic ecology and marine biogeochemistry.
Passionate about making science accessible, Saurav actively engages in science communication through social media, fossil showcases at science festivals, and presenting wildlife conservation research to diverse audiences including government officials, educators, students, and stakeholders from agricultural, marine and industrial sectors. He is committed to effective science outreach across disciplines to build public understanding and support sustainable environmental policies.
Furthermore, Saurav is deeply committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and creating inclusive work environments that foster collaborative scientific advancement.
Select publications
- Venu Gopal, K., Chattopadhyay, D. and Dutta, S., 2025: Oligo-Miocene marine bivalves from the Kutch Basin (western India) and their biogeographic implications in the context of Tethyan closure. Historical Biology https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2463671
- Dutta, S., Saar, R., Lavie, Z., Vered, G., Bradbury, H. J., Antler, G. 2022: A method for a fast and economical in situ collection of pore water in sandy sediments. Frontiers in Marine Science https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.968063
- Dutta, S., Chattopadhyay, D., Chattopadhyay, D., Misra, S., Turchyn, A. V., 2019: Strontium stratigraphy of the Oligocene-Early Miocene shellbeds of Kutch, Western India and its implication. Lethaia https://doi.org/10.1111/let.12364
- Dutta, S. and Devapriya Chattopadhyay., 2022: Response of the Oligo-Miocene Bivalve fauna of the Kutch Basin (Western India) to regional tectonic events. Palaios https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2020.040
- Chattopadhyay, D., Sarkar, D., Dutta, S., Prasanjit, S.R., 2014: What controls cannibalism in drilling gastropods: a case study on Natica tigrina. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.05.037
- Das, S., Dutta, S., Sen, S., Jijumon A. S., Babu, S., Kumara, H.N., Singh, M., 2014. Identifying regions for conservation of sloth bears through occupancy modelling in north-eastern Karnataka, India. Ursus http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2192/URSUS-D-14-00008.1
- Chattopadhyay, D., Dutta, S., 2013: Prey selection by drilling predators: a case study from Miocene of Kutch, India. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.01.016
- Das, S., Dutta, S., Mangalam, M., Rath, S., Kumara, H.N., Singh, M., 2011. Prioritizing remnant forests for the conservation of Mysore Slender Lorises in Karnataka, India through estimation of population density. International Journal of Primatology DOI 10.1007/s10764-011-9531-x
Select awards
- Early Career Research Grant – Malacological Society of London (2025)
- Newton Bhabha PhD Placement Programme – University of Cambridge (2017)
- INSPIRE Fellowship – Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (2013–2019)
- Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scholarship by Government of India (2007-2012)