Dr Chetan Deva
- Position: Research Fellow
- Areas of expertise: canopy micrometeorology; plant heat stress; measuring leaf temperature; modelling leaf temperature; crop modelling; crop breeding; seasonal forecasting
- Email: C.R.Deva@leeds.ac.uk
- Website: Googlescholar
Profile
I am an interdisciplinary scientist working to understand the impact of weather and climate on food systems. My work focuses on integrating insights from the disciplines of meterology, plant biology and plant physiology to provide applied science tools that enhance farmer’s resilience to extreme weather events and global heating.
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher working on the BBACO project. I work with plant physiologists, plant breeders and rural economists to build models that can help bean breeders to understand stress patterns across space and time. In the BBACO project, I am developing a bean model in Python incorporating the heat tolerance mechanisms found in a range of promising bean varieties used by The International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
My PhD work focused on using large data sets to understand the role of canopy cooling across spatial scales. At the plant scale, I examined leaf temperature in heat tolerant and heat sensitive varieties of Common Bean and explored the mechanisms for enhanced cooling in heat tolerant varieties. At the canopy scale, I delved into modelling of leaf temperature, and at the regional scale, I explored the feedbacks between large areas of irrigated land and the occurrence of heatwaves.
Research interests
- Crop breeding for heat tolerance
- Measuring and modelling leaf temperature
- Canopy micrometeorology
- Seasonal forecasting of crop production
- The use of machine learning in modelling plant processes and production
- The use of remote sensing in modelling plant processes and production
Qualifications
- BA Economics and Philosophy
- MA Climate and Society
- MSc Development Economics
- PhD Climate and Atmospheric Science