A decorated academician as well as climate scientist, Dr Karve’s first research project resulted in the development of a process for converting agricultural waste into charcoal, winning her the Ashden Award for Renewable Energy in 2002. She teaches courses on Sustainability, Physics, and Big History (History of the Universe) at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA), Pune, India.

In a career spanning more than 20 years, Dr. Karve has invented a number of improved biomass burning cooking devices as well as worked on ‘decentralized organic waste to fuel’ technologies apart from devising and promoting strategies for low carbon, sustainable urbanization. She has published more than 30 research papers in peer reviewed journals, and has contributed to technical books.

Her work has been honoured by several national and international awards, including World Technology Award in Environment Category 2005 (by World Technology Network, New York), Sahyadri Hirakani Award 2011 (by Mumbai Doordarshan Television Channel, India), Vasundhara Award 2014 (by Kirloskar Vasundhara International Environmental Film Festival), “Unch Maza Zoka” Award 2015 in Environment Category (by Zee TV Marathi Television Channel, India) etc.

She is a serial entrepreneur heading Samuchit Enviro Tech that she started in 2005, a social enterprise that promotes environmentally sustainable energy and lifestyle products and Orjabox, a green start up she started in 2021 that is engaged in promoting LPG free kitchens. She has also invented an easy-to-use Carbon Footprint Calculator for Urban Indians that is now jointly promoted by Samuchit Enviro Tech and Climatora.

Dr Karve is the co-editor of ‘Shaikshanik Sandarbh’ a Marathi language bi-monthly on Science and Education, and a member of the Board of Editors for ‘Confluence: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies’.She is a TEDx speaker and has also been featured in a number of national and international periodicals, publications, radio and television programmes, and podcasts.