V. Deepak Ph.D.
V. Deepak Ph.D.
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD
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Education
Education
2013 Doctor of Philosophy in Wildlife Science, Saurashtra University, Gujarat, India. Thesis title: Ecology and Behaviour of Travancore tortoise (Indotestudo travancorica) in Anamalai hills, Western Ghats.
2005 MSc degree in Wildlife Biology (Distinction) A.V.C College (autonomous), Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu, India.
2003 BSc degree in Zoology, Loyola College (autonomous) Madras University, Tamil Nadu, India.
Research Career
Research Career
2021–2022 Humboldt Research Fellowship at the Senckenberg Natural History Collections, Dresden, Germany. Funded by The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. “Conserving two critically endangered giant softshell turtles: using historical and environmental DNA to assess genetic diversity”.
2017-2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual fellowship at the Natural History Museum, London. Funded by the EU. Horizon 2020. "Phenotypic and lineage diversification of natricine snakes".
2013-2016 Post-doctoral researcher at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Funded by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India “Phylogeography and molecular systematics of “Darwin’s lizard” the Sitana ponticeriana complex in the Indian Subcontinent”.
2007-2011 PhD student at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India affiliated to Saurashtra University. Funded by Ministry of Environment and Forest Grant-in-Aid, India “Ecology of two endemic turtles in the Western Ghats
Grants Received
Grants Received
2020 Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers- The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. <URL>
2019 National Geographic Explorer grant - National Geographic Society. <URL>
2019 American Museum of Natural History, Collection study grants.
2017-2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - European Commission (EU), Individual Fellowship. <URL>
2016-2017 The Rufford Foundation (USA), small research grants, Co-Applicant with Krishna Chaitanya, V. Giri & Caleb Daniel.
2017 Students Conference in Conservation Science, Miriam Rothschild Travel Bursary Programme (UK). <URL>
2014-2015 The Rufford Foundation (USA), small research grants, Co-Applicant with Aparna Lajmi & Aniruddha Datta-Roy.
2013-2015 Department of Biotechnology (India), post-doctoral research grants & fellowship
2011 The Kumble foundation (India), research grants.
2011 The Doris Norden Herpetological fund received from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (India), research grants.
2010 Turtle Survival Alliance (USA), Travel Grant to attend 8th Freshwater turtle & tortoise Symposium, Florida, USA.
2008-2011 Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India, Senior Research fellowship.
2006-2007 Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India, Junior Research fellowship .
Editorial/Reviewer Responsibilities
Editorial/Reviewer Responsibilities
Associate editor for Herpetological Journal 2020 – present. For submission follow this link: https://www.thebhs.org/policies/the-herpetological-journal-instructions-to-authors
Section Editor for Asian and Australasian snakes, Zootaxa 2020 – present. For submissions please use this email: vdeepak.zootaxa@gmail.com
Reviewer for Asiatic Herpetological Research, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Biodiversity and Conservation, Biologia, Biological Journal of Linnaean Society, Current Science, Herpetology Notes, Journal of Biogeography, Journal of Herpetology, Journal of Natural History, Journal of Threatened Taxa, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Molecular Ecology, PeerJ, Russian Journal of Herpetology, Systematics & Biodiversity, Vertebrate Zoology, Zookeys, Zoological Research, Zootaxa
Supervising & Mentoring
Supervising & Mentoring
Apr 2019 Co-supervising EDGE fellowship project “Status and conservation of Cantor’s Giant softshell Turtle” independent researcher, India. Student: Ayushi Jain
Sep 2018 Co-guide MRes project “Resolving the position of Macropisthodon rudis within Natricinae (Colubridae)” student from Imperial College, London. Student: Sarah-Jane Smith
Dec 2015 Co-guide MSc dissertation “Thermal Ecology of a Montane Lizard: an account on thermal biology, microhabitat use and activity budget of Salea horsfieldii in Nilgiris” student from Pondicherry University, India. Student: Caleb G Daniel
Aug 2013 Guide summer research fellow “Hemipenial morphology and its phylogenetics signals in some agamids lizards of south and central India” at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Student: Mohammad Asif
International Conference Attendance
International Conference Attendance
2019 Evolution 2019, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. (poster presentation).
2019 Biennial Conference of the Systematics Association, Bristol, UK. (poster presentation)
2018 British Ecological Society (BES) Macroecology (and macroevolution) conference Scotland, UK.
2018 SICB Division of Vertebrate Morphology First European regional meeting, London, UK.
2017 Young Systematists’ Forum, organized by Systematics Association, Natural History Museum, London, UK.
2017 Venom Day, Bangor University, Wales, UK.
2017 Biogeography India meeting, International Biogeography Society, Bengaluru, India. (talk & poster presentation)
2010 8th Annual Symposium on conservation and biology of tortoises and freshwater turtles, Orlando, Florida, USA (invited presentations).
Museum Research Visits
Museum Research Visits
Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India
Zoological Survey of India, Pune, India
Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
Natural History Museum, London, UK
Natural History Museum, Berlin, Germany
Senckenberg Natural History Collections, Dresden, Germany
Senckenberg Natural History Collections, Frankfurt, Germany
Natural History Museum, Paris, France
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C, USA
American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
2020– 2021 India: Sky Island herpetofauna survey Anamalai and Nilgiris, Western Ghats.
2020– 2021 India: Fresh water turtles in peninsular India.
2018 Ivory Coast: Herpetofaunal diversity documentation at Banco National Park, Abidjan.
2011 Egypt: Herpetofaunal diversity documentation in Sinai Peninsula.
2006-2010 India: Radio-telemetry, habitat mapping, population surveys of two endemic turtles in Western Ghats.
2012-2016 India: Fan-throated lizards sampling in 107 locations across dry-zones of India.
2005-2016 India: Herpetofaunal diversity documentation and collection in Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats and Northeast India.
Academic Websites
Academic Websites
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8826-9367
Zoobank ID: http://zoobank.org/Authors/9F65F474-77EB-498C-AE4A-1E11F5ACFE9D
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/V_Deepak
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FLJ515AAAAAJ&hl=en&authuser=1
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