Harsh K. Gupta currently holds the prestigious Panikkar Professorship at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Hyderabad, India. Pursuing a luminous career in a variety of aspects of the Earth Sciences for over four decades, he is globally known for providing the first geophysical evidence of an enormously thick crust below the Himalaya and Tibet Plateau region, identifying the common characteristics of artificial water reservoir triggered earthquakes and discriminating them from normal earthquakes, setting up India's first permanent station at Antarctica in a record time, and in recent years, spearheading the designing and commissioning of the Tsunami Warning System for India, after the disastrous tsunami caused by the 26th December 2004 Sumatra earthquake. He has published over 200 papers and written 4 pioneering books, published by Elsevier. Dr. Gupta has occupied several important positions including the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Ocean Development and Director of NGRI. He is the founder President of the Asian Seismological Commission, and currently the President of the Geological Society of India, President of Asia Oceania Geosciences Society and Vice President of IUGG. His many honors and accolades include the USSR Academy of Sciences '100 years of International Geophysics' Memorial Medal; Waldo E. Smith Medal of American Geophysical Union as well as the highest scientific and civilian honors from India, such as the Bhatnagar Award and the Padmashri Award.