Deans

Dean of Academic Affairs


Name: Dr. Ugyen Thinley
Phone/Fax:(Office-ext): 2023

Brief Background:

Dr Ugyen Thinley (Assistant Professor) currently serves as the Dean of Academic Affairs at the College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan. He has been an integral part of the institution since 1998. Today, he not only oversees academic programmes and courses, but also as an active research scholar, he as several publications and technical reports in the field of climate science, environment, and sustainable natural resource management.

 

Dr Thinley attained his Ph.D. in International Agriculture from Khon Kaen University, Thailand, in 2020. His doctoral research focused on a range of critical areas, including research methods, statistics, spatial ecological modelling, and journal writing seminars. He also contributed significantly to the discourse on alien invasive species through his dissertation. He pursued a Master of Science degree at the University of Ghent, Belgium, from 2001 to 2002. During this time, he honed his skills in various domains such as Land Information Systems, Remote Sensing, and Integrated Land Use Systems. His M.Sc. dissertation, titled “Seasonal Change Detection of Forest Vegetation in Bhutan using Coarse Resolution Satellite Data,” demonstrated his commitment to enhancing the understanding of Bhutan’s unique ecosystems.

 

Dr Thinley’s academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (Honours) from Bangor University, Wales, United Kingdom, from 1994 to 1997. His undergraduate studies encompassed an impressive array of subjects, from genetics and evolution to forest ecology and economics. His honours project, “Effects of Pruning Types on European Oak,” highlighted his early dedication to research.

 

In addition to his formal education, Dr Thinley has pursued a wide range of professional development courses in areas such as remote sensing, GIS, and climate change assessment. He remains deeply committed to advancing knowledge in natural resource management, sharing his expertise as an educator, researcher, and mentor in Bhutan.

 

Dean of Student Affairs


Name: Mr. Ugyen Dorji(Lecturer)
Phone/Fax: (Office) +

Brief Background:

Mr. Ugyen Dorji is a Lecturer under the Department of Forest Science in the College of Natural Resources. His field of teaching and research is in Freshwater Ecology. He teaches Integrated Watershed Management, Geographic Information Systems, Water Resources Management and Research Methods to both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the University. He has a Masters Degree in Forestry and Bachelors Degree in Life Sciences. Prior to becoming the Dean, he served as the Programme Leader for HDR Master programme in the College. He is also a member of National Water Resources Management Technical Expert Group in Bhutan and founding member of Water Research Bhutan.

 

Aquatic Biodiversity of Bhutan (2017) and Water Resources Management (2021) are two of many contributions to the freshwater scientific community in Bhutan. He has carried out numerous research projects and consultancies on assessment of the freshwater health and dynamics, diversity of aquatic organisms and water quality in different rivers in the country. In terms of skills and interests, he has organized and facilitated more than 40 short courses on topics ranging from natural resources management to statistical analysis (SPSS, R and SAS programs, GIS, GPS and remote sensing) and leadership to communication skills. He is particularly fond of R software and he has also been training both national and international participants on how to analyze ecological data with R.

 

Aside from inclining the students to focus on their academic credentials, his main concerns are to infuse and coerce skills and knowledge in our youths to cope with ever changing and challenging times. His vision to the college is to lead, inspire, engage and empower the students towards realization of their fullest potential.

Dean of Research and Industrial Linkages


Name: Dr. Sonam Tashi
Phone/Fax:(Office)
Brief Background:

Dr. Sonam Tashi, Assoc. Professor, currently serves as the Dean of Industrial Linkages. He also served as the Dean of Academic Affairs at the College. Dr. Tashi, completed his BSc in Horticulture from the University of Philippines at Los Baños, Master’s in Agriculture from the University of Melbourne, Australia and PhD from the University of Bonn, Germany. Both his Master and PhD was in Organic Agriculture.  Prior to joining the College of Natural Resources in 2008, Dr. Tashi worked as the Deputy Chief of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. He also served as the General Manager at Druk Seed Corporation and Asst. Research Officer in Renewal Natural Resource Research Centre, Jakar. 

Dr. Tashi also serves as an editor of the International Journal of Environment and Bhutan Journal of Natural Resources Development. He is also an Assoc. editor of the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research and Research Ambassador of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He is an Executive Member in Towards Organic Asia for Mekong Region and Bhutan. Dr. Tashi is specialized in organic agriculture and is also interested in medicinal and aromatic plants and sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. Dr. Tashi is also a recipient of the Gold Medal for Excellence (2012).