Dr. Surya Parkash is Professor and Head, Geo-Meteorological Risks Management Division (GMRD) and also Head of the CBRN, Industrial and Cyber DRR Division at National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India. He is Faculty In-charge of 8 different Specialized Centres on Early Warning and Communication, Flood Monitoring Cell, Disaster Safe Hill Area Development, Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience, CBRN, Industrial DRR, Cyber DRR, Emergency Operation Centre. He is Team Leader for the World Centre of Excellence on Landslides Disaster Reduction (2020 – 2023 and 2011-2014) and Project Leader of IPL-233 and IPL-172 under International Programme on Landslides at National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. He is Nodal Faculty for 9 Central Ministries of the Government of India, including Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Coal, New & Renewable Energy, Communication, Mines, Shipping, Labour & Employment (DGMS), Parliamentary Affairs, North Eastern States, for coordinating their disaster management activities. He was a member of IMCT (Inter-Ministerial Central Team) during the pandemics. He is National Coordinator for IAPG (International Association for Promoting Geoethics) India Section. He has been the Founder Chairman of the Community Based Disaster Risk Management Society in India.

Professionally he is an environmental and engineering earth scientist with specialization in Disaster Management. Formerly he was Head of the Knowledge Management & Communication Division, Head of the Hydro-Meteorological Risks Management Division, Programme Coordinator for Web Based Self Study Programme at NIDM and Administrator NIDM-GFDRR (World Bank) Online Courses on Disaster Management. He has organized more than 300 national and international trainings. wrokshops and conferences related to different aspects of disaster management. He has been a member of the Core Group, Task Forces and Working Groups for development of guidelines and strategies on disaster management at national level. He has been Recognized as a Qualified Professional (RQP) Geologist and is Member of the International Consortium on Landslides, Japan and International Society of Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering Portugal. He was Coordinator for the Indo-Japanese Action Plan on Landslides as part of the Security Declaration between Governments of India and Japan. 

He has been a recipient of UGC’s National Merit Scholarship and CSIR Fellowships during his studies.  He was awarded Academic Fellowship by World Bank Institute (WBI) Washington and received various international grants from Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC) - Berne, Royal Government of Netherlands, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIZIS) - Macedonia, Japanese Landslides Society (JLS), National Taiwan University etc. for participation in international activities. He received Skoch Order of Merit Award for Awareness Creation & Sensitization in Disaster Management through E-learning, after qualifying in India’s Best Governance Projects for the year 2014. 

He has published >150 papers, books, reports, and articles. He is Editor, Journal on Disaster & Development (ISSN:0973-6700), published by National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi; Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture (JCEA), David Publishing Company, New York, USA ISSN: 1934-7359 (Print); 1934-7367 (Online); Member of Editorial Board, International Journal of Mathematical, Engineering and Management Sciences; Member Editorial Board, International Journal on Earth science and Engineering (ISSN: 2159-581X); Member Editorial Board, Journal of Environment & Agricultural Studies, Zeal Scienza; Member, Editorial Board, biannual peer-reviewed International Scientific eJournal of Applied Forest Ecology  (eJAFE) and so on.

Research Interests: Landslides, Earthquakes, Cyclones, Floods, Droughts, Forest Fire, Urban Fire, Lightning, Community Based Disaster Management, Early Warning and Communication, Disaster Safe Development, Planning, Policy, Guidelines, Manual and Modules on Disaster Management, Engineering Geology, Earth Sciences, Environment etc.