The executive committee of Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS) has appointed Dr. Prakash K. Paudel as Executive Director. Dr. Paudel’s appointment as executive director is effective April 1, 2017. He is also appointed as a scientist at Center for Conservation Biology of KIAS. As executive director, Dr. Paudel will look after overall management and everyday operations of KIAS.

Dr. Paudel holds Ph.D. in Biology of Ecosystem from Jihočeská univerzita, Czech Republic. Prior to taking over as the executive director at KIAS, he was at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal. He is also an executive editor of Conservation Science journal, a peer-reviewed and open-access journal published by KIAS.

His research areas include meta-population structure of mammals in the fragmented landscapes, human-wildlife conflict, systematic conservation planning and has published a book, several book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles on wildlife biology, conservation planning and human-wildlife interactions. His research also focuses on national science policy.

He loves to travel and enjoys trekking.