Dr Krishna Kumar Kotra from India has a Masters in Environmental Chemistry and PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Andhra University, Andhra Pradesh, India. He received the “Gold Medal” for his doctoral studies on Groundwater quality along the Bay of Bengal. Dr. Kotra was also a Mary Sears Award recipient (2019) from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, USA. After teaching at various institutions in India, in 2015 he joined The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Emalus Campus in Port Vila, Vanuatu. He was later appointed “Science Program Coordinator” to oversee the delivery of science courses in Vanuatu. Since then, he had established a wide range of collaborations with reputable universities (ETH, Oxford, UNSW, UTS, UNM, Griffith, University Texas etc.) and research organizations (CEFAS, WHOI, ESR, The Ocean Foundation etc.) around the world to work in Vanuatu and the Pacific. His research interests include water quality, marine studies, and climate change. However, he is committed to applying his expertise to a very broad range of research projects to be carried out in Vanuatu and the Pacific.

• Chemical Principles (CH101)
• Principles & Reactions of Organic Chemistry (CH102)
• Organic Chemistry (CH102)
• Inorganic Chemistry (CH204)
• Physical Chemistry (CH203)

• Member: American Chemical Society
• Life Member: Indian Science Congress Associations
• Life Member: Indian Geological Union
• Member: Association of Hydrologists of India
• Member: Coastal Chemical Society
• Member: Engineers Without Boarders
• Member: Geological Society of India

• Best Paper Presentation, 2020: Royal Chemical Society, UK.
• Mary Sears Award, 2019: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA.
• Best Researcher Award, 2014: SVP Engineering College, India.
• Best Teacher Award, 2012: SITAM Engineering College, India.
• Best Thesis (Ph.D.) Award, 2010: Andhra University, India.
• Senior Research Fellowship, 2009: of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.
• Best Paper Presentation, 2008: SESNM 2008, GITAM University, India.
• Junior Research Fellowship, 2007: University Grants Commission, Govt. of India.
• Best Teacher Award, 2004: Aditya Degree & PG College, India

•  Geomorphological impact assessment on groundwater quality and fluoride genesis along the Bay of Bengal of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
  Krishna K Kotra.
  Clean, Soil, Air, Water 2011, 39 (10), 925-930.
• Groundwater – Fluoride: geochemical assessment along Bay of Bengal of Vizianagaram.
  Krishna K Kotra.
  Indian Water Works Association 2012, XXXXIV (2), 125-130.
• Impact of geomorphology and fluoride genesis on groundwater quality along the Bay of Bengal of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
  Krishna K Kotra.
  Water and Environment 2012, 26 (4), 422-428.
• Coastal groundwaters – a geo-hydro chemical exploration for factors controlling genesis and spatial distribution of fluoride.
  Krishna K Kotra & Yessayya Vasantha.
  Int. J. Environment & Resource 2012, 01 (2), 50-61.
• A study on the geochemistry of fluoride groundwater for delineation of fluoride zones.
  Krishna K Kotra.
  Int. Research J. Pure and Applied Chemistry 2014, 4 (1), 14-25.
• Geophysical monitoring for the prospects of groundwater in the hard rock terrain regions along the Thandava River basin.
  Krishna K Kotra & Israel Yedluri.
  British J. Applied Science & Technology 2014, 4 (2), 338-349.
•  Geochemical assessment of groundwater along Thandava river basin, Andhra Pradesh, India.
  Krishna K Kotra, Israel Y & Sowjanya P.
  Nature Envi. & Pollution Technology 2013, 12, (4), 709-716.

  Impact of Cyclone PAM on Rainwater Harvesting Prospects in the Pacific Region.
  Krishna K Kotra.
  British J. Applied Science & Technology 2016, 12 (4), 1-11.

• Integrated geophysical and geochemical assessment for the comprehensive study of groundwater.
  Krishna K Kotra, Israel Yedluri, Sowjanya P, Surendra Prasad.
  Water Air Soil Pollution 2016, 227.6, 1-16.
• Rainwater harvesting for drinking – A physiochemical assessment in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
  Krishna K Kotra, Sailesh Samantha & Surendra Prasad.
  South Pacific J. Natural and Applied Sciences 2017, 35 (2), 33-44.
• Mixed ligand complexes of transition metal ions with selective bio-ligands in surfactant-water mixtures.
  Srikanth Bathula & Krishna K Kotra.
  Int. J. Recent Technology and Engineering 2019, 8, 3182-3190.
• Ternary complexes of essential metal ions with L-arginine and succinic acid in cationic surfactant medium.
  Srikanth Bathula & Krishna K Kotra.
  Int. J. Adv. Engineering Research and Science 2019, 6, 306-314.
• Faecal contamination of groundwater in rural Vanuatu: prevalence and predictors.
  Tim Foster, Juliet Willetts & Krishna K Kotra.
  J. Water and Health 17 (5), 737-748.
  Carbonate sediments from Maui Bay (coral coast, Fiji) reflect importance of coral reef conservation.
  Shadrack S Ronick, Susanna Pohler, Leo X C Dutra & Krishna K Kotra.
  Ocean and Coastal Management, 2020, 198, 1-12.
• Baseline assessment of coastal water quality in Vanuatu, South Pacifc: Insights gained from in-situ sampling.
  Michelle Devlin, Andy Smith, Carolyn A Graves, Caroline Petus, Dieter Tracey, Michael Maniel, Eryn Hooper, Krishna K Kotra, Erie Sami, David Loubser & Brett P Lyons.
  Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2020, 160, 1-15.
• Assessment of biodegradable chelating agents in the phytoextraction of heavy metals from multi-metal contaminated soil.
  Ivan Diarra, Krishna K Kotra & Surendra Prasad.
  Chemosphere, 2020, 273, 12-26.
• Aquatic Contaminants in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu: Evidence from Passive samplers and Microtox toxicity assessment.
  Smith Andy, Baber J., Davis S, Jones C, Krishna K Kotra, Lyons Brett & Micelle Devlin.
  Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2021, 165, 1-11.
• Contending with seasonal water shortages in the Pacific: Perforamce of private rainwater tanks versus community rainwater tanks in rural Vanuatu.
  Tim Foster, Emily Rand, Krishna K Kotra, Erie Sami & Juliet Willetts.
  Water Resources Research, 2021, 56, 1-13.
• Water circulation and impact on water quality in the southwest of Efate Island, Vanuatu. Gaelle Faivre, Erie Sami, Brendan Mackey, Rodger Tomlinson, Hong Zhang, Krishna K Kotra, Jim Aimbie, Michael Maniel, Guilherme Vieira da Silva & Emily Rand.
  Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2021, 173.
• Self-supplied drinking water in low and middle income countries in the Asia Pacific region.
  Tim Foster, Cindy Priadi, Krishna K Kotra, Mitsunori Odagiri, Emily Christensen Rand, Juliet Willetts
  npj Clean Water, 2021, 4(1), 1-10.
• Vulnerability to food insecurity in a telecoupled world: Insights from Vanuatu.
  Danny P. Nef, Krishna K Kotra, Stauffacher Michael, Johan Six & Pius Kruetli.
  Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2022, 6, 818586.
• Groundwater salinity in Vanuatu: an assessment of Shefa and Malampa Provinces.
  Krishna K Kotra, Srikanth Bathula & Erie Sami
  Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 2022, 21(2), 803-812.
• Utilizing dietary probiotics can boost amberjack (Seriola dumerili) lysozyme activity, antioxidant capacity and gut microbiota.
  Ronick Shadrack, Krishna K Kotra, Sompert Gereva, Islam I Teiba, Ibrahim T El-Ratel, Mohammed F Basuini.
  Scientific African, 2023, 22, 1-11.
• Management of saltwater intrusion using 3D numerical modelling: a first for Pacific Island country of Vanuatu.
  Ashneel Sharan, Bithin Datta, Alvin Lal & Krishna K Kotra
  Environmental Monitoring and Management, 2023, 196, 1-20.
• Strengthening rural community water safety planning in Pacific Island countries: evidence and lessons from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji.
  Regina T Souter, Doug Ruuska, Sarah Pene, Collin Benjamin, Sheila Funubo, Cara D Beal, Rosanna Sanderson, Suliasi Batikawai, Ana Ravai, Tema Antoinette-Wickham, Tom Rankin, Lindah Peter, Heather Molitambe, Gaston Theophile, Sachita Shrestha, Krishna K Kotra, Hugo Bugoro, Nixon Panda, Vimal Deo & Mark Love
  J. Water and Health, 2024, 22, 467-486.
• multi-country survey on saniation systems in underserved urban settlements in the Melanesian Pacific region.
  Benny Z Rousso, Rosie Sanderson, Mark Love, Camari Koto, Sovaia Seru, Viliame Salusalu, Daisy Unguna, Krishna K Kotra & Regina Souter
  npj Clean Water, 2024, 7, 93-105.
• WASH for everyone, everywhere: markeplaces as a multiplex pathway for improving inclusive access to water, sanitaion, and hygiene in Vanuatu.
  Krishna K Kotra, Regina Souter, Heather Molitambe & Mark Love
  J. Water and Health, 2025, 23(1), 301-313.
• Perspecitves from Develpers and Users of the GOA-ON in a Box Kit: A model for Capacity Sharing in Ocean Sciences.
  Valauri-Orton Alexis, Lowder Kaitlyn, Currie Kim, Sabine Christopher, Dickson Andrew, Chu Sophie, Acosta Alberto, Asuquo Francis, Bermudez Rafael, Bilounga Ulrich, Boodhoo Kishore, Osei Benjamin, Chapa-Balcorta Cecilia, Cossa Damboia, De Cian Antonella, N’Yeurt Antoine De Ramon, Edworthy Carla, Epherra Lucia, Ferrera Charissa, Imrit Yadhav, Kotra Krishna K, Mahu Edem, Neehaul Yashvin, Pickering Azaria, Ramessur Roshan, Soapi Katy, Sohou Zacharie, Tabius Merianne and Vuiyasawa, Miriama
  Oceanography, 2025, 38(1).
• A simple method for methanol quanitification in spirits using UV Visible Spectroscopy and FTIR.
  Ronick Shadrack, Krishna K Kotra, Danile Tari, Hancy Tabi, Jacinta Botleng, Rolina Kelep & Ladyshia Regenvanu
  Peerj Analytical Chemistry, 2025. In press.
• Assessment fo toxic metals in open dump site near PNG University of Technology, Papua New Guinea.
  John Ape, Srikanth Bathula, Sailesh Samantha & Krishna K Kotra
  Nature Environment & Pollution Technology, 2025. In press.

•  WASH in the market hours: A situation analysis of water, sanitation and hygiene services in marketplaces in Vanuatu. Technical Report to DFAT, Australia.
  Mark Love, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Regina Souter. 2021.
• National Chemical Profile of Vanuatu 2021. Technical Report to Govt. of Vanuatu.
  Krishna Kumar Kotra. 2022.
• WASH in Short Agri-food Supply Chains and Marketplaces in Pacific Islands Countries: A Framework for Assessing WASH-Related Vulnerabilities to Health.
  Regina Souter, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Mark Love. 2022.
• Opportunities of collaborative and integrated planning for climate resilient urban WASH in informal settlements.
  Rosie Sanderson, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Camari Koto, Heather Molitambe, Regina Souter. 2022.
• Climate resilient and climate vulnerable WASH service delivery models in Melanesian urban informal settlements
  Rosie Sanderson, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Camari Koto, Heather Molitambe, Regina Souter. 2022.
• Policy review – water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and climate change in urban planning systems in Melanesian.
  Rosie Sanderson, Ed Morgan, Camari Koto, Heather Molitambe, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Regina Souter. 2022.
• Strengthening community water management through a follow-up DWSSP activity – Results of a pilot in Vanuatu.
  Mark Love, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Heather Molitambe, Regina Souter. 2023.
• Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning (DWSSP) structured follow-up implementation guide.
  Mark Love, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Heather Molitambe, Gaston Theophile et.al. 2023.
• Pacific Attitudes Survey: Vanuatu.
  Christopher Mudaliar, Michael Leach, Kerryn Baker, Julien Barbara, Milla Vaha, Krishna K Kotra, Trevor Leodoro. 2023.
• Decentralization and rural water service delivery in Vanuatu.
  Mark Love, Heather Molitambe, Krishna Kumar Kotra, Sachita Shrestha & Regina Souter. 2024.

• Capacity development and higher education.
  Krishna Kumar Kotra & Naohiro Nakamura.
  The Routledge Handbook of Global Development, 2022, 653-664.

• Principal Investigator: Physiochemical assessment of harvested rainwater in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Fund: FJD 10,000. The University of the South Pacific. 2016-17                Completed

• Co-investigator: Estimation of coastal waters quality for various biological mappings of Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Fund: Part of Commonwealth Marine Economics Program. 2017-2019        Completed

• Collaborator: Fossil Coral Records of ENSO during the Last Glacial Period.

Fund: National Science Foundation, USA. 2017-2019                                   Completed

• Principal Investigator: Towards National Drinking Water Standards in Vanuatu: Applied Research and Capacity Building.                           

Fund: FJD 43, 311 PIURN Fund. 2017-2019                                               Completed

• Principal Investigator: Ocean Acidification Monitoring Project.                

Fund: USD 32,000 Ocean Foundation, USA. 2019 – 2020                              Completed

• Co-investigator: WASH, foodways, markets, women and COVID-19 preparedness in Vanuatu.

Fund: AUD 80,980 by DFAT, Australia. Sep. 2020 to March 2021              Completed

• Consultant: National Chemical Profile of Vanuatu. Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation, Government of Vanuatu.

          Fund: FJD 32,500   Government of Vanuatu.  July 2020 to March 2021      Completed

• Co-investigator: Transition to safely managed water services: Risks and opportunities of self-supply for vulnerable populations.

Fund: AUD 84,080 DFAT, Australia.2020 – 2022                                       Completed

• Co-investigator: Strengthening Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning in Vanuatu with lessons from Fiji and Solomon Islands.

Fund: AUD 41,303 DFAT, Australia. 2020 – 2022                                     Completed

• Co-investigator: Planning for Climate-resilient in Pacific Islands.

Fund: AUD 15,516 DFAT, Australia. April 2022 – September 2022           Completed

• Co-investigator: Supporting decentralized rural water supply in Pacific Islands: formal and networks to support Pacific Rural Water Committee engagement with water resources management for climate resilient WASH outcomes.

Fund: AUD 61,110 by DFAT, Australia. 2023 – 2024                                 Completed

• Co-investigator: Inclusive urban WASH in Melanesian Pacific– influencing and strengthening systems for climate resilient WASH in urban undeserved settlements.

Fund: AUD 49,380 DFAT, Australia. 2023 – 2024                                      Completed

• Co-investigator: Groundwater for inclusive climate resistant WASH.

Fund: AUD 75,252 DFAT, Australia. 2023 – 2024                                      Completed

• Co-investigator: Pacific Attitudes Survey.

Fund: AUD 61,100 DFAT, Australia. January 2023 – December 2023             Completed

• Co-Applicant: Securing availability and access to freshwater in a culturally adapted and   sustainable way for populations of Pacific Island Countries facing climate.

Fund: CAD 2 million New Frontiers Research Fund. January 2024                  Ongoing

• Co-investigator: Water security for locally relocated coastal communities in the western Pacific region.

Fund: AUD 2.25 million ACIAR, Australia. April 2024                                              Ongoing

• Co-investigator: SATREPS Project for Disaster Risk Reduction of Widespread Volcanic Hazards in Southwest Pacific Countries

Fund: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). January 2024               Ongoing