Dr. Akshay Deoras
Senior Research Scientist in Indian Monsoon variability and high-impact weather (NCAS)
Research Interests
- Dynamics and variability of monsoon systems
- Extreme precipitation events and heatwave processes
- Subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) forecasting
Education
- PhD, Atmosphere, Oceans & Climate – University of Reading (2018–2022)
- MRes, Climate & Atmospheric Science – University of Leeds (2016–2017)
Professional & Government Engagement
- Invited expert contributor to the UK Government Office for Science roundtable on the impacts of El Niño on the UK (June 2026)
- Reviewer for major international atmospheric science journals
Media & Public Engagement
- Globally recognised media voice on extreme weather, monsoon variability and climate impacts
- Contributor to the Channel 5 documentary The Pile-Up: Death on the Motorway, examining the UK M5 motorway crash and the role of weather conditions
Awards & Recognition
- Finalist – STEM for Britain (2025), invited to showcase research on monsoon systems at the House of Commons, UK
- American Geophysical Union Outstanding Reviewer (2022)
- Best Oral Presentation – RMetS Student Conference (2020)
- Government of Maharashtra, India PhD Scholarship (~£90k)
Research Projects
- DRENCH – Depression-driven extreme precipitation (2025–present)
- OUTBREAK – Breaks in rainfall and air quality (2024–present)
- MiLCMOP – Mid-latitude controls on monsoon (2023–2025)
- EUPHEMISMS_CO – Monsoon storms consolidation (2024–2025)
Teaching
-
MTMG25 Hazardous Weather Analysis, University of Reading (2023–2024)
– Demonstrator (marking and student support)
– Guest lecturer: Indian monsoon low-pressure systems -
MTMG01 Introduction to Weather Systems, University of Reading (2022–2023)
– Demonstrator (marking and student support)
– Guest lecturer: Convective storms
Student supervision
-
Jamie Todd (PhD, 2026–present)
University of Reading
Co-supervisor – Simulating monsoon systems at the kilometre scale -
Tanmay Sonawane (MSc, 2026)
University of Reading
Lead supervisor – Understanding air quality in India during monsoon breaks -
Divyam Singh Aswal (MSc, 2026–present)
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali
Co-supervisor – Moist heat extremes in India -
Pranay Chakraborty (MSc, 2026–present)
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali
Co-supervisor – Diurnal variability of moist heat in India -
Hamraz H (MSc, 2026–present)
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali
Co-supervisor – Predictability of moist heat extremes in India -
Nindya Pradita (MSc, 2025)
University of Reading
Lead supervisor – Progression of the Indian Summer Monsoon in S2S forecasts -
Maia Arama (UROP, 2024)
University of Reading
Co-supervisor – Characteristics of clouds during the Indian summer monsoon
Centaur Publications
2026
Tupsoundare, M., Deshpande, S., Deoras, A. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Prabhu, A., Kumar, A. and Ghorpade, A.
(2026)
Dry air intrusion and convective variability during August 2023 monsoon breaks: Insights from ART-CPol radar observations.
Atmospheric Research.
ISSN 0169-8059
(In Press)
Deoras, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Wilcox, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5691-1493, Samset, B., Stjern, C., Turner, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-6876, Catherine, I., Birch, C., Ahmadi, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2754-4820, Allen, R., MacRae, M., Merikanto, J., Nabat, P., Takemura, T., Tsigaridis, K. and Westervelt, D.
(2026)
Greenhouse gases overtake aerosols in driving moist heat variability in India during the summer monsoon.
Communications Earth & Environment.
ISSN 2662-4435
(In Press)
Lewis, H. W., Jones, A., Hazra, A., Menon, A., Claxton, B., Pandithurai, G., Martin, G., Jayakumar, A., Jenamani, R., George, J., Pillai, P., Deshpande, S., Kolusu, S., Katiyar, S., Valsala, V., John, S., Ross, A., Turner, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-6876, T J, A., Deoras, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Srivastava, A., Smith, D., Lumbroso, D., Dyson, E., Brown, E., Kumar, K. N., Hunt, K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1480-3755, Widmann, M., Bhowmik, M., Ashrit, R., Keane, R. and Cole, S.
(2026)
Delivering the Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) India in collaboration.
MAUSAM, 77 (4).
pp. 1157-1172.
ISSN 0252-9416
doi: 10.54302/mausam.v77i4.7549
Deoras, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Hunt, K. M. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1480-3755 and Turner, A. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-6876
(2026)
The role of soil moisture in the inland penetration of Indian monsoon low-pressure systems.
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 152 (776).
e70095.
ISSN 1477-870X
doi: 10.1002/qj.70095
Deoras, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Turner, A. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-6876, Volonté, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0278-952X, Schiemann, R. K. H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3095-9856, Wilcox, L. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5691-1493 and Menon, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9347-0578
(2026)
The role of dry intrusions in breaks of the Indian summer monsoon.
Journal of Climate, 39 (5).
pp. 1237-1250.
ISSN 1520-0442
doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-25-0004.1
Deoras, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Turner, A. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-6876, Lekshmi, S., Birch, C. E., Volonté, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0278-952X, Menon, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9347-0578, Schiemann, R. K. H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3095-9856 and Wilcox, L. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5691-1493
(2026)
Anatomy of moist heatwaves in India during the summer monsoon season.
Climate Dynamics, 64 (3).
103.
ISSN 1432-0894
doi: 10.1007/s00382-025-08023-w
2024
Deoras, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Turner, A. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-6876, Volonté, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0278-952X and Menon, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9347-0578
(2024)
The role of midlatitude dry air during the withdrawal of the Indian summer monsoon.
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 150 (765).
pp. 5094-5112.
ISSN 1477-870X
doi: 10.1002/qj.4859
2023
Deoras, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5407-6520, Turner, A. G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0642-6876, Hunt, K. M. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1480-3755 and Priyanthika Jayawardena, I. M. S.
(2023)
The influence of weather patterns and the Madden-Julian Oscillation on extreme precipitation over Sri Lanka.
Geophysical Research Letters, 50 (14).
e2023GL103727.
ISSN 0094-8276
doi: 10.1029/2023GL103727
Last update: 22nd April 2026
