Siddharth Pandey, PhD

Dr. Pandey, Director of India Operations for the Taksha Terrestrial Analog Research Center (TTARC), is the Head of Amity Space Centre and the Centre of Excellence in Astrobiology at Amity University, India. As a part of this, he is leading an initiative to establish India’s first centre that will work towards studying the origins and distribution of life in the Universe. Prior to this, he has experience in building sample collection instruments for Mars and Venus surface missions while working at NASA Ames, USA. He received the NASA Spaceflight Awareness Team Award and NASA Ames Technology Transfer Award for two successful spaceflight experiments onboard the International Space Station and co-owns a registered NASA patent. Siddharth has led international expeditions to explore extreme environments in Ladakh and Lonar crater, Maharashtra, as sites to test experiments and systems for Mars exploration. He is a Director with the Mars Society Australia and is actively involved in planning analogue field projects in India and Australia. He has been engaged in education and public outreach activities and is motivated to use Space as a tool to spread awareness, social consciousness and inclusiveness within our communities.

Welcome to Taksha Institute!

Originally founded in 1976 by Adarsh Deepak, PhD, as the Institute for Atmospheric Optic and Remote Sensing (IFAORS), TakshaShila Institute (doing business as "Taksha Institute," "Taksha," or "TI") remains a dynamic, not-for-profit [501(c)3] tax-exempt, independent minority institution of advanced research and learning, with the addition of non-technical subject matter, since its inception. As a non-degree giving, non-diploma awarding institution, TI is engaged in cutting-edge research projects and learning opportunities in the form of workshops, seminars, and other events, for all ages (from kindergarten to life-long learning), for personal or professional growth and enhancement.

Incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia (US), Taksha has its headquarters in Hampton, VA, with a West Coast/Silicon Valley, CA office. From its inception, TI has been supported entirely by R&D meetings management contracts with the federal government, industry, and UN organizations; the collection of registration fees for events; and donations from industry and private parties.

As a 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational institution, your charitable contribution to Taksha Institute is tax deductible, and any registration fees, sales, or other income go to the support of our education and research programs and projects. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Taksha to help support our unique programs, and click here or on the "Contribute to Taksha" button on the navigation bar above!

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