We are primarily interested in Adaptations – behavioural, physiological and morphological. We investigate various issues in Sexual Selection and Life-history evolution by using laboratory experimental evolution and phenotypic manipulations on lab-adapted populations of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). While sexual selection is a major force driving the evolution of most sexually reproducing species, including medically and economically important insects (disease vectors, pollinators for example), it is also thought to have been one of the main forces that shaped human evolutionary history. Life-history evolution, on the other hand, is of direct relevance to the wellbeing of the present and future human populations as it aims at understanding key aspects of ageing, immunity, reproduction, stress resistance etc. 

Currently we are working in three distinct directions. (1) We are investigating evolutionary connection between ageing and sexual selection. To do that we are studying various sexually selected traits in experimentally evolved populations (>1000 generations of evolution) having faster rate of ageing and shorter lifespan. (2) We are investigating how different components of parental environment can affect evolutionarily important characters of an organism and what consequences that may have on their adaptation to a particular environment. (3) We are looking at male and female-adaptations to sexual selection that works after mating (i.e., post-copulatory sexual selection). We are also trying to establish new model systems which can be used to test various evolutionary theories, which otherwise cannot be tested using D. melanogaster. The long term aim of the lab is to, not only test various evolutionary theories, but also understand the mechanism of adaptation at both organismal and molecular/physiological levels.  To this effect, we are looking forward to integrating the organismal experiments with molecular level investigations in order to get a mechanistic insight. 

We are the founding members of the Department of Biological Sciences at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Berhampur (IISER Bpr). Situated in the coastal state of Odisha in India, Berhampur is small town with a rich history of higher education. IISER Berhampur, an institute of national importance, is the seventh member of the IISERs set up by MHRD, Govt. of India for fundamental research and higher education in science.

We are looking for PhD candidates. If you are interested, please apply for the PhD programme: https://www.iiserbpr.ac.in/academics/admission/

Around the campus of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Berhampur