Dr. Priyadarshini Karve

Dr. Priyadarshini Karve completed Ph.D. in Physics from University of Pune, in 1998. Her first independent post-doctoral research project resulted in the development of a process for converting agricultural waste into charcoal. The technology won the Ashden Award for Renewable Energy in 2002.

In a career spanning nearly 25 years, Dr. Karve invented a number of improved biomass burning cooking devices, to reduce smoke in the kitchen and dependence on firewood for domestic cooking in rural areas. She has also worked on “decentralized organic waste to fuel” technologies. She developed a methodology for technology selection and promotion to improve adoption of clean cooking energy devices by end users. In the past 10 years or so, her work has also focused on devising and promoting strategies for low carbon, sustainable urbanization.  

She has published more than 30 research papers in peer reviewed journals and has contributed to technical books. In 2005, she started Samuchit Enviro Tech, a social enterprise that promotes environmentally sustainable energy and lifestyle products. Dr. Karve, who is the Managing Director of Samuchit, has also invented an easy-to-use Samuchit Carbon Footprint Calculator for Urban Indians, and conducts workshops on climate friendly lifestyle, sustainable urbanization, etc. She is also a Co-Founder of OrjaBox LLP, a green start-up focused on renewable energy for cooking, from 2021.

Dr. Karve is actively involved in national and international organizations working in the field of renewable energy, equitable sustainable development, climate resilience, etc. Over the years she has successfully led numerous funded projects based on scientific and technological research, technology dissemination and commercialization, third party assessments, and policy advocacy. She is a Founder Member and current CEO of Clean Energy Access Network (CLEAN), a registered society in India, and serves on the Governing and Advisory Bodies of several other national and international organizations. She is also the National Convener of Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change (INECC). She teaches courses on Sustainability, Physics, and Big History (History of the Universe) at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA), Pune, India. In addition, she is co-editor of ‘Shaikshanik Sandarbh’ a Marathi language bi-monthly on Science and Education, and a member of the Board of Editors for ‘Confluence: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies’.

Her work has been honored by several national and international awards, including World Technology Award in Environment Category 2005 (by World Technology Network, New York), Sahyadri Hirakani Award 2011 (by Mumbai Doordarshan Television Channel, India), Vasundhara Award 2014 (by Kirloskar Vasundhara International Environmental Film Festival), “Unch Maza Zoka” Award 2015 in Environment Category (by Zee TV Marathi Television Channel, India), etc. She is a TEDx speaker and has also been featured in a number of national and international periodicals, publications, radio and television programs, and podcasts. In 2023, she was featured in 'Vigyan Vidushi', a book on 75 Indian women science luminaries, published by Vigyan Prasar on the occasion of 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav (75th anniversary of India’s Independence)'.