Mr Sandro Chatterjee
ARC Grant-Funded Researcher A
School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
College of Sciences
I am Dr. Sandro Chatterjee, a Grant-Funded Researcher (A) under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Project at the Adelaide University, Australia. My research focuses on deciphering the geological imprints of multiple deformation events in the Indo-Antarctic domains. I employ an integrated approach combining fieldwork, microstructural analysis, metamorphic studies, and geochronology to reconstruct past supercontinents. I am also deeply interested in the rheological behavior of the lithosphere and crust–mantle interactions in granulite terranes. Currently, I work with Prof. Alan Collins, conducting research in the Arabian-Nubian Shield to investigate the tectonic evolution of this Neoproterozoic juvenile arc system through structural geology, geochronology, and geochemical analyses. I earned my Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India, in 2025, supported by the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship and the DST-INSPIRE fellowship. My work has led to four publications in leading journals, with several more under review, and has been recognized with the Young Polar Scientist Award by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in 2023 and 2025. My academic journey began with a B.Sc. Honours from the University of Calcutta, India, where I received the gold medal for topping my course in 2017, followed by an M.Sc. at IIT Kharagpur, where I earned the institute silver medal for ranking first in 2019. I have contributed to over 20 collaborative conference publications and actively participated in the 41st Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (2021–22). I serve as an integral part of the GeoEAIS (Geological Exploration of Amery Ice Shelf) project, an initiative by NCPOR, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, to study the India–Antarctica connection, including extensive fieldwork in East Antarctica. My field experience spans diverse regions, including the Cratoinc Indian Shield and different sectors of the Eastern Ghats, Ladakh Himalayas, Ivrea-Verbano Zone (Italy), Larsemann and Schirmacher Hills (East Antarctica), and the Midyan and Hijaz terranes (Saudi Arabia). I have collaborated internationally with the University of Cambridge and the University of Beira Interior, Portugal, and nationally with NCPOR, NCESS, Delhi University, and the University of Allahabad, India. Alongside research, I have over six years of teaching experience, including roles at Asutosh College, University of Calcutta, and IIT Kharagpur, supervising master’s theses and assisting in structural and earth science laboratories.
My research focuses on the structural and metamorphic imprints of polyphase deformation within the Indo–Antarctic domains to refine models of supercontinent assembly and post-collisional evolution. An integrated methodology incorporating detailed field mapping, quantitative microstructural analysis, metamorphic phase equilibria modelling, and high-precision geochronology is applied to constrain pressure–temperature–time–deformation (P–T–t–d) paths. Particular attention is given to lithospheric rheology and crust–mantle coupling in high-grade granulite terranes.
Ongoing work focuses on the tectonic architecture and crustal growth processes of the Neoproterozoic Arabian–Nubian Shield, especially its southern Saudi Arabian segment, combining structural geology, isotopic geochronology, and whole-rock geochemistry.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 - ongoing | ARC Grant-Funded Researcher A | Adelaide University |
| 2019 - 2025 | Ph.D. fellow (Prime Minister's Research Fellow) | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Fellowship | ARC Grant-Funded Researcher A | Adelaide University | Australia | - |
| 2025 | Award | Young Polar Scientist | National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India | India | - |
| 2024 | Award | Best Poster | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | India | - |
| 2023 | Award | Young Polar Scientist | National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India | India | - |
| 2023 | Scholarship | Recipient of EXCITE-TNA facilities access | University of Beira Interior | Portugal | - |
| 2023 | Scholarship | Recipient of EXCITE-TNA facilities (2023) | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | - |
| 2021 | Achievement | Expedition member of the 41st Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica | National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India | India | - |
| 2021 | Fellowship | Holder of Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF), highest scholarship for Ph.D. in India (2021-2025) | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | India | - |
| 2019 | Award | Institute silver medalist | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | India | - |
| 2019 | Achievement | Qualified GATE 2019 in Geology with an All India Rank of 149 | Government of India | India | - |
| 2019 | Achievement | Cleared Joint CSIR-UGC Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Lectureship (NET) Exam, June 2018 with an All India Rank of 19 in Lectureship (LS) | Government of India | India | - |
| 2017 | Award | 1st rank holder in B.Sc. 3 years Honours Examination (2014-2017), Geology | University of Calcutta | India | - |
| 2017 | Achievement | Secured an All India Rank of 4 in M.Sc./M.Sc. Tech Entrance Examination, 2017, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad | IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, India | India | - |
| 2017 | Achievement | Secured an All India Rank of 26 in Joint Admission Test for M.Sc. (IIT-JAM), 2017 | Government of India | India | - |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| Bengali | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| German | Can read, write, speak and understand spoken |
| Hindi | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2025 | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | India | Ph.D. |
| 2017 - 2019 | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | India | M.Sc. in Geology |
| 2014 - 2017 | University of Calcutta | India | B.Sc. in Geology |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Chatterjee, S., Dev, J. A., Debnath, A., Ghosh, A., Dey, S., Mukherjee, A., . . . Gupta, S. (2026). Mid-Neoproterozoic extensional tectonics in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica: Implications for Indo-Antarctic correlation in Rodinia. Lithos, 522-523, 108358. |
| 2024 | Chatterjee, S., Debnath, A., Samantaray, S., Arora, D., Dey, S., Gupta, S., & Pant, N. C. (2024). Thermotectonic evolution of the Rauer Group and Vestfold Hills in Prydz Bay: implications for Neoproterozoic assembly of the East Antarctic Shield. Polar Science, 40, 101015. |
| 2024 | Dey, S., Chatterjee, S., Ritanjali, S. R., Dobe, R., Mukherjee, R., Mandal, S., & Gupta, S. (2024). Nanoscale visualization of high-angle misorientations in quartz-rich rocks using SEM-EBSD and Atomic Force Microscopy. Journal of Structural Geology, 183, 105146. |
| 2021 | Gupta, S., Chatterjee, S., Arora, D., Bose, S., & Dobe, R. (2021). Locating the Indo-Antarctica suture – Correlating the Rengali, Rauer and Ruker terranes in Gondwana. Polar Science, 30, 100689. |
Australian Research Council (ARC)-Grant Fund (2026- Recent)
Prime Minister's Research Fellowship, India (2021-2025)
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Teaching assistant at the Asutosh College, University of Calcutta (2022-2024: as per the guidelines of PMRF scheme)
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Teaching assistant in the Igneous Petrogenesis laboratory course for M.Sc. first year students and Introduction to Earth Science laboratory course for Integrated M.Sc. 2nd year students, Department of Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur (2019-2025)
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Undegone guidance of students’ M.S. thesis with Prof. Saibal Gupta (Department of Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur): Manusreehasa Gangavamsam (2024-2025): Deciphering the mechanisms of ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphism in the southern Eastern Ghats Province: insights into the crustal evolution and tectonic processes
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Undergone guidance of students’ M.Sc. thesis with Prof. Saibal Gupta (Department of Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur): Kingshuk Kapuri (2022-2023): Metamorphic insights into the southern Eastern Ghats Province: a phase equilibria study
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Undergone guidance of students’ M.Sc. thesis with Prof. Saibal Gupta (Department of Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur): Aishi Debnath (2020-2021): The India-Antarctica-Australia connection in Gondwana: constraints from geology and a GPlates model
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Field logistics (Odisha, India; 2019-2024) and mentoring with Prof. Saibal Gupta at IIT Kharagpur, India
| Date | Topic | Location | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - 2025 | Deciphering the mechanisms of ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphism in the southern Eastern Ghats Province: insights into the crustal evolution and tectonic processes | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | Manusreehasa Gangavamsam |
| 2024 - 2025 | Deciphering the mechanisms of ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphism in the southern Eastern Ghats Province: insights into the crustal evolution and tectonic processes | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | Manusreehasa Gangavamsam |
| 2022 - 2023 | Metamorphic insights into the southern Eastern Ghats Province: a phase equilibria study | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | Kingshuk Kapuri |
| 2022 - 2023 | Metamorphic insights into the southern Eastern Ghats Province: a phase equilibria study | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | Kingshuk Kapuri |
| 2020 - 2021 | The India-Antarctica-Australia connection in Gondwana: constraints from geology and a GPlates model | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | Aishi Debnath |
| 2020 - 2021 | The India-Antarctica-Australia connection in Gondwana: constraints from geology and a GPlates model | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India | Aishi Debnath |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Member | Geological Society of Australia | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | American Geophysical Union | India |
| 2017 - ongoing | Member | American Association of Petroleum Geologists | India |
| 2017 - ongoing | Member | Geological Survey of India | India |
| Date | Event Name | Event Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2023 | Microtectonics Masterclass, 2023 | Workshop | University of Mainz, Germany | Germany |