Dr. Chandrashekhar Biradar is a principal agro-ecosystems scientist who heads Geospatial Science, Technology and Application (GeSTA) research for ICARDA and the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems. Dr. Biradar received a B.Sc. degree from University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India, an M.Sc. degree in tree improvement and genetic engineering from University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, India, and a Ph.D. in remote sensing and environmental sciences from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Department of Space, ISRO and University of Pune, India.
Dr. Biradar was subsequently a post-doctoral fellow with the International Water Management Institute and then at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Ocean and Space (EOS) at the University of New Hampshire, USA. Thereafter, until February 2013, he served as a research professor, research scientist, senior research scientist, and manager at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA while working on number of federally-funded projects.
Over the last 15 years, he has played a key role, as one of the lead researchers, in producing the first satellite sensor serving irrigated and global rainfed croplands of the world, developed a number of remote sensing based innovative methods, algorithms, and tools related to land use/land cover mapping, croplands, irrigated and rainfed systems, biodiversity assessments, forest cover, water productivity, eco-epidemiology, climate change and ex-ante impact assessments.