He is also a participating faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Program in Climate Studies. Prior to joining IIT Bombay, Dr. Gautam worked at the Climate and Radiation Laboratory of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), for over 5 years, with Universities Space Research Association and University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He received his PhD from George Mason University (GMU) specializing in Satellite Remote Sensing and Climatology. His research interests include remote sensing of aerosols and their climate effects, as well as assessing their potential impacts on hydrological cycle. He has also participated in two NASA/GSFC-led field experiments to study impact of aerosols on regional climate in Thailand and India.