M. F. Quamar,^1,*,** C. M. Nautiyal<sup>1,***

1</sup>Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow, 226007, Uttar Pradesh, India

^*CONTACT M. F. Quamar quamar_bot@yahoo.co.in
^**MD. Firoze Quamar was awarded a BSc in 2000 and an MSc in 2004 (both in Botany) from the R.D.S. College (Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University), Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. He received his PhD, again in Botany, in 2011 from the University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Firoze worked as a Birbal Sahni Research Scholar and a Birbal Sahni Research Associate at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow while carrying out research for his PhD and thereafter. He is currently working as a Scientist “B” at the BSIP, and his research interests include the reconstruction of palaeoclimate and palaeovegetation in the tropics during the Late Quaternary using pollen as a proxy. Firoze also runs a Fast Track Young Scientist Project in the Western Himalaya (Jammu and Kashmir), India. He has also received the Dr B.S. Venkatachala Memorial Medal for his outstanding research in palaeobotany at the BSIP in 2014. Firoze is also the recipient of a BSIP Paper of the Month Award during 2014. He has published 33 research papers in peer-reviewed journals.
^***Chandra Mohan Nautiyal is a Scientist “F”, and head of the Radiocarbon Laboratory, at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. His academic career includes a masters degree in Physics from the University of Roorkee, and doctoral and post-doctoral research at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India. Chandra has been awarded the INSA Medal for Young Scientists, a travel grant from the Meteoritic Society (USA) and a Paper of the Month Award from the BSIP. His Radiocarbon Laboratory has twice received BSIP medals. Chandra has also received the Prabhashree Award from the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. He has published about 75 research contributions in leading research journals. Chandra has also been a member of several committees such as the National Committee on Archaeological Sciences. He is also a well known science communicator, having delivered about 600 lectures, and has participated in around 200 radio and television programmes.