New Delhi, Oct 8 (PTI) Senior atmospheric scientist Akhilesh Gupta on Saturday assumed additional charge as Secretary, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).

Gupta, Senior Adviser at the Department of Science and Technology (DST), succeeds Sandeep Verma who relinquished charge as Secretary SERB on completing his tenure on October 7, an official statement said.

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The SERB is a statutory body established by the government to promote basic research in emerging areas of science and engineering.

"It was a privilege to serve the finest R&D funding agency and to create opportunities for our researchers. Equity, inclusion and diversity was our mantra," Verma said on Twitter.

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Gupta also heads the Policy Coordination and Programme Management Division (PCPM) division and is the overall incharge of five national missions at DST -- on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical System; Quantum Technology and Applications; Super-computing; Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change; and Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem.

A distinguished atmospheric scientist, Gupta has to his credit over 200 research articles in national and international journals as well as proceedings.

Gupta is a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering (FNAE), Indian Meteorological Society (FIMS) and Association of Agro-meteorologists (FAAM).

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