Dr. A Senthil Vel is graduate and masters in Fisheries Sciences from College of Fisheries Mangalore, Karnataka. He completed his Ph.D in Coastal Management Framework Policy of India, from Institute of Ocean Management, Anna University Chennai.

He joined the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in 1991 as Scientist. In MoEF&CC he worked in various Divisions which include Environmental Impact Assessment, Control of Pollution, Environmental Educations, Taj Trapezium Zone, Air pollution Control in Delhi, Environment Education, Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Environmental Standards, National River Conservation, National Ganga River Basin.

He was also appointed as the Project Director of the World Bank assisted Industrial Pollution Control Project which involved establishment of common effluent treatment plants, effluent treatment plants for industries, up gradation and capacity building of State/UT Pollution Control Boards. He worked in the MoEFCC, Regional office in Bangalore, monitoring projects that were accorded environmental clearance under EIA & CRZ notification including Wild Life and Forest Conservation Acts.

Dr. Vel was also the Member Secretary of High Level Expert Committees constituted under Prof. M.S. Swaminathan and Dr. Shailesh Nayak that reviewed CRZ notifications. Based on the report of the committee he was instrumental in drafting CRZ 2011 and Island Protection Zone Notification 2011. He was appointed as the National Project Director of the World Bank assisted Integrated Coastal Management Project (ICZM).As part of the project he established the Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) and other institutions. Under the ICZM project for the first time in the country coastal hazard mapping, mapping of coastal-marine ecological areas, sediment cell mapping, preparation ICZM plan were undertaken.

He went on deputation and was appointed as the Dean and Professor College of Fisheries, from 2019 to 2021.  During his tenure in the college, he prepared the Report on Blue Economy Potential of Karnataka that was sponsored by the World Bank, Report on Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries in Karnataka. He has published 4 books and 25 scientific papers.

He has joined as an Expert Member in the Principal Bench of National Green Tribunal at New Delhi on 15.01.2022.