This department is very young and has evolved out of the research and teaching activities in the parent Department of Physics. Since 1950 research in topics related to atmospheric sciences was being carried out in the Department of Physics. Significant contributions were made in the upper atmospheric research related to atmospherics, air glow, minor constituents and plasma. The department participated in a major way during the Indian Middle Atmospheric Research program by carrying out high altitude Balloon borne experiments  

The Department of Physics has produced several scientists in the field of Atmospheric Sciences who have worked at National and International levels including a former Director General of the India Meteorological Department, Dr. R.R. Kelkar, who occupied the position of ISRO Chair Professor in this new department of the University from 2004 to 2008. In the year 1983 the department organized the National Space Sciences Symposium which even now is remembered as the trend setter for the present day symposia.

All these activities resulted into UGC selecting the Department of Physics as one of the five National centers for starting the post-M.Sc. teaching program in Atmospheric Sciences. University of Pune became the first University to start the M.Tech. (Atmospheric Physics) program in 1988. The UGC funded this program for eleven years. After the UGC funding was over in 1999 an MOU was signed between the University of Pune and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology to run the M.Tech. program jointly. The student placement has been almost 100 %. A sizeable number of our students continued their Ph.D. studies at Universities in India, Germany, U.K., USA , Korea and Norway.

You can find students who have done M.Tech. (Atmospheric Physics/ Science) from this University working in leading Atmospheric Sciences related organizations all over the world, like: NASA (USA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USA), U.K. Met Department, India Meteorological Department, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (DRDO), National center for Medium range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Indian National Ocean Information Service, General Electric Corporation, CDAC, Pollution Control Board, Suzlon, Vestas etc..

In the year 1998 the Department of Space Sciences came into existence with a M.Sc. program in Space Sciences. This department was unique in nature as the activities were run by Visiting Faculty. It was run by cooperation from National Center for Radio Astronomy (NCRA) and the Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in addition to support from a large number of retired scientists from various National laboratories.

The students who have completed M.Sc. degree in Space Sciences are very small in number but many continued for their Ph.D. studies at Universities in India, USA, Canada, U.K., Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Germany.

In the year 2004 the University of Pune decided to give a formal shape by transferring the faculty involved in the Atmospheric Sciences program from the Department of Physics to form the new Department of Atmospheric and Space Sciences, which came into existence on 25 January 2004.

Coordinators and Heads

Besides the regular faculty even the Visiting faculty is actively involved in research and has executed research projects for the United States Army, Indian Space Research Organization, Defense Research and Development Organization, Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Council of Scientific and Industrial research (CSIR) and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MOES).