Ravi Naidu

Ravi Naidu (born 26 May 1954, Nadi, Fiji) is an Australian scientist, working in soil contamination and sustainable soil management. Recently he won the prestigious Glinka World Soil Prize in 2023. 
He is a Laureate Professor and Director of Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER) in the University of Newcastle, Australia. Ravi Naidu is also the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientist of the CRC for the Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE).
Ravi Naidu has been a highly cited researcher since 2019 in the field of multidisciplinary environmental science. He is well-known for his risk-based approach to environmental remediation and his strong commitment to bringing industry, academia, and government stakeholders together on a collaborative platform to remediate contaminated sites underpinned by research.
Recently, he was awarded the European Geosciences Union's Kabata-Pendias Medal in 2023, and the Mahatma Gandhi Leadership in 2022.
==Education and Career==
After graduating from University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji, in Chemistry and Mathematics, Ravi Naidu obtained his M.Sc. (Mineralogy) jointly from University of Aberdeen, UK, in 1979. His career started as a lecturer at USP. Soon after, he completed his PhD (Soil chemistry) from Massey University, New Zealand in 1986. Ravi Naidu moved to Australia and started a career as a researcher in CSIRO, where he became Chief Research Scientist and Leader of the Remediation of Contaminated Environments Program at CSIRO Land and Water Division and Component Coordinator of CSIRO’s Land and Water Sector. Ravi Naidu initiated and led the bid for crcCARE, which was established in 2005. He is the founding managing director/CEO of crcCARE, having engaged in significant local and international collaboration and led the successful bid for crcCARE’s nine-year extension in 2010. He is a founding director of the University of Newcastle’s Global Centre for Environmental Remediation and was the initiator and inaugural director of the University of South Australia’s (UniSA) Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation. In 2015, he obtained Doctor of Science (Soil Chemistry) degree from Massey University, following the same (Hon Causa) by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in 2013.
==Awards and Recognition==
* 2023: Glinka Soil Prize by the United Nations FAO. It is the highest recognition in soil science sector. Watch Ravi Naidu's Glinka Prize Spotlight.
* 2023: Recipient of European Geoscience’s prestigious Kabata-Pendias Medal for outstanding research on toxic metals and soil science.
* 2022: Mahatma Gandhi Leadership award, House of Commons London for outstanding soil and environmental science research.
* 2022 Elected Chair of UN-FAO International Network on Soil Pollution (INSOP).
* 2013 Winner, Richard Pratt – Banksia CEO Award, Banksia Sustainability Awards
==Risk-based Environmental Remediation==
Ravi Naidu's detailed analysis focuses on contaminants from agriculture and industry and their effects on the environment and humans. He explains that his research examines how contaminants are present in the environment, their interactions, and how they reach people or nature.
Being an academic researcher and having industry funding model CRC CARE, his investigations mostly target industrial contaminants, driven largely by the industries themselves. Ravi Naidu takes a comprehensive approach, looking at the whole system to fully assess and manage the risks of contaminants, whether they are in soil, groundwater, or urban areas. He mentors a research and analytical team, who work various aspects of risk-based environmental remediation.
Ravi Naidu and few of his collaborators published an prospective review article in 2021 titled "Chemical pollution: A growing peril and potential catastrophic risk to humanity." Accordingly to PlumX metrics, this article has been captured attention in various other articles, policy documents, social media and news. 
==International Engagement==
* FAO Global Report on Soil Pollution (2021): Naidu led the SE Asia and Pacific section. The report has been cited in over 11 policy documents, 39 peer-reviewed articles, and discussed over 1,600 times in news and social media.
* UN-Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (UN-ITPS): Serving member representing Oceania.
* International Network on Soil Pollution: Chair of the network.
Category:1954 births
Category:People from Nadi
Category:Australian scientists
Category:Australian people
Category:Massey University alumni