Dr. Ram Avtar is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Japan, and Director of the Global Land Programme (GLP) Japan Nodal Office.

His research focuses on land systems, natural resource mapping, and co-designing solutions for global sustainability, integrating multi-sensor remote sensing, UAV technologies, and machine learning for environmental monitoring from local to global scales. He previously served as a Research Fellow at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (2012–2016) and holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Tokyo and master’s in environmental science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India.

Dr. Avtar has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, three books, and contributed as a Lead Author to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). A recipient of the prestigious Green Talents Award (BMBF, Germany) and Global Young Academy award, he leads multiple international projects on climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable resource management.