Dr. Koustubh Sharma, the Director of Science and Conservation at the International Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) is a physicist turned wildlife zoologist. He has roamed the rugged terrains of Asia’s High Mountains, studying the elusive snow leopards in their natural habitat. Other than being a scientist, Dr. Sharma helps transforming conservation efforts across 12 snow leopard range countries into policy and partnerships through his role as the International Coordinator of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection Program (GSLEP). He lived and worked in Central India’s Panna Tiger Reserve as a PhD student for five years before heading to the high Mountains where snow leopards live.
From rubbing shoulders with snow leopards at a mere meter's distance to featuring in Microsoft advertisements on Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Sharma's experiences are at the intersection of passion, dedication, and innovation. He is also the elected President of the Society for Conservation Biology’s Asia section, and member of Ethical Conservation Alliance and two IUCN working groups.
With over 200 engaging talks and 50 scientific publications, Dr. Sharma spends considerable time in building the constituency of nature conservation across the world. When he is not focusing on snow leopards, he aims his equipment on stars, galaxies and nebulae as an amateur astrophotographer.