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Senior Project Coordinator – Glaciers-to-Ocean (G2O) Action area: Cryosphere and water Climate and environmental risks
Rajesh Bahadur Thapa is the Senior Project Coordinator for the Glaciers-to-Ocean (G2O) initiative, a collaborative programme between the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Ocean Policy Research Institute of Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF).
He previously served as Senior Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Specialist at ICIMOD and held multiple strategic leadership roles, including Science and Data Lead for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the United States Agency for International Development (NASA–USAID) SERVIR-HKH initiative, Theme Leader for the Geospatial Theme, Group Lead for the Land use/Land cover group, and Capacity Building Lead for SERVIR-HKH. With over 25 years of professional experience across Asia, he has also worked at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and taught at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. His expertise focuses on integrating remote sensing and geospatial technologies for environmental monitoring, service development, and decision support across sectors such as glaciers, forests, agriculture, urban systems, and disaster risk reduction, while bridging science, policy, and practice. Rajesh is widely published and cited, and serves as reviewer and editorial board member on more than 40 international journals, and has received several prestigious awards recognising his contributions to science, innovation, and capacity development.
Rajesh holds a PhD in Geoenvironmental Science from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, an MSc in Remote Sensing and GIS from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, and an MA in Geography from Tribhuvan University, Nepal.
Rajesh Bahadur Thapa
How do you protect the pulse of the planet?
I empower people to use emerging Earth observation and geospatial technologies for making evdience-based decisions to protect the pulse of the planet.
What is your favorite part of the work you do at ICIMOD?
It is an international, multidisciplinary and multicultural environment.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about engaging and mentoring young professionals and improving the gender balance in the workplace.
My qualifications
I have over twenty years work experience across various Asian countries including Japan, Thailand, and the HKH region. Prior to joining ICIMOD, I was a researcher for the Japanese Earth Observation Missions ALOS, ALOS-2, and PiSAR-L2 at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. I was also a visiting professor, teaching postgraduate courses at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. I have expertise in SAR, Optical, and LiDAR remote sensing data processing and geospatial analysis for various applications.
Documented in international journals, books, and other media, my research leadership contributed to developing methods for a) mapping land-use and land cover; b) spatial modelling to explain and forecast the expansion of urban areas and deforestation, c) tracking tropical forest carbon stocks and CO2 emission risk, and d) spatial decision support for peri-urban agriculture. I have conducted extensive research and fieldwork in Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam and have been honored to receive many international and national awards and recognition. I hold a PhD in Geoenvironmental Science from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, and an MSc in Remote Sensing and GIS from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand.
