CAWDOR, SCOTLAND, May 17, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Ian Archbald Baker, BA, MA, MPhil, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Baker celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for his prestigious achievements, leadership qualities, and academic and professional distinctions. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 25 years of industry experience to his credit, Mr. Baker has worked since 1993 as a field anthropologist, Himalayan explorer, writer, and award-winning photographer. National Geographic Society honored him in 2000 as one of seven 'Explorers for the Millennium', in recognition of his series of ground-breaking expeditions into Tibet's Tsangpo Gorge – the world's deepest – and his resolution of a century-long riddle concerning the existence of the fabled Falls of the Tsangpo, the highest waterfall on any major Asian river and the geographical source of the legend of Shangri-La. Mr. Baker has published numerous books and academic articles on Himalayan cultural traditions and environment and on Tibetan art history. He also continues to curate acclaimed exhibitions of Himalayan and Tibetan art. Mr. Baker was additionally the founding director of Rare Journeys, through which he led travel seminars in Asia from 2006 to 2014, after previously serving as a travel expert for Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Expeditions.
Before embarking on his professional career, Mr. Baker earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, cum laude, at Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1980. He was subsequently awarded a Master of Arts in English Literature at the University of Oxford in 1985. He pursued further graduate studies at University College London where he received a Master of Philosophy degree in Anthropology in 2010. Since 2016, Mr. Baker has been affiliated academically with the Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
Mr. Baker has contributed to numerous endeavors beyond his immediate scholarly profession. He was the lead curator for the "Tibet's Secret Temple" exhibition at London's Wellcome Collection in 2015 and 2016, and he is currently co-curator for a forthcoming 2020 exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum on the art and science of Tantric Buddhism. Mr. Baker is also a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences, including Mind & Life Europe in 2017, the 2016 and 2018 summits of the Center for Bhutan Studies, and the 2018 Festival of Mind in London. Mr. Baker was also a lecturer for the 2008 Distinguished Authors Series of the California Literary and Prologue Society as well as an instructor in the Department of Buddhist Studies at Naropa University in 2006 and 2007.
Mr. Baker's earlier professional distinctions include his role as founding partner and director of Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary in Koh Samui, Thailand in 2000, and his partnership in Lotus Energy Solutions in Kathmandu, Nepal from 1993 to 2000. From 1990 to 1992, Mr. Baker was a consultant in Tibetan and Himalayan art for the Togendo Collection in Kyoto, Japan. In 1990, he also served as a travel expert in Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan for the Smithsonian Institution. From 1986 to 1990, Mr. Baker worked as a research associate in Nepal for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and he also served as Academic Director of the School for International Training's College Semester Abroad programs in Ahmedabad, India, and in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 1983 to 1990.
Mr. Baker's success as an author includes his most recent book, Tibetan Yoga: Principles and Practices, which is currently in press. His earlier books include Buddhas of the Celestial Gallery, published in 2012, The Heart of the World: A Journey to the Last Secret Place, published in 2004, and The Dalai Lamas Secret Temple: Tantric Wall Paintings from Tibet, published in 2000. Mr. Baker's earlier works include Celestial Gallery, published in 2000, The Tibetan Art of Healing, published in 1997, and Tibet: Reflections from the Wheel of Life, co-authored in 1993. Mr. Baker is also a contributor of chapters and forewords to other books, while articles that he has written have been published in professional and academic journals as well as in National Geographic Magazine. Forthcoming books by Mr. Baker include Secret River: Journeys in Tibet's Hidden Land of Pemakö and Dragons Milk: Alchemy and Altered States in Colonial-Era Burma.
Mr. Baker remains affiliated with various organizations connected with his areas of expertise. He is a fellow of the Explorers Club, the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, Colonial Lords of Manors, and the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. Mr. Baker is also an advisory board member of the International Society for Bhutan Studies & GNH Research.
In light of Mr. Baker's exceptional achievements, he has received accolades and honors throughout his career. He was awarded a doctoral research grant from the Wellcome Trust in 2016, the Presidential Award of the Explorers Club in 2016, an Explorer for the Millennium distinction from National Geographic Society in 1999, a Dean's Fellowship from Columbia University in 1991, a Rolex Award for Enterprise in 1990, a Presidential Scholarship at Lincoln College, University of Oxford in 1985, and the Robert Gallagher Award for Distinguished Scholarship from Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English in 1984.
A fellow of the Explorers Club since 1997, Mr. Baker received his first research grant from the Explorers Club in 1980. He received additional research grants from National Geographic Society's Expeditions Council in 1998, 2006, and 2007.
Mr. Baker was selected for inclusion in multiple editions of Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Mr. Baker has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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