Anand Krishnan

I have a long-standing interest in birds going back over 30 years, and grew up in Mumbai (then Bombay). From a young age, I have had an interest in science and education, particularly in the study of animal behaviour, zoology and the history of zoological exploration and extinction. It was this interest that led me to a B.Sc in Life Sciences and Biochemistry at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, where the importance of pedagogy without textbooks and self-learning were given great importance. Following this, I obtained an Integrated Ph.D at NCBS studying comparative neurobiology on hawkmoth antennae with Sanjay Sane. I returned to India following a postdoctoral stint at Johns Hopkins University, and joined IISER Pune in 2017 as a DST-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow, later moving as an Assistant Professor in 2021 to IISER Bhopal. My lab moved to the Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit at JNCASR, Bengaluru in 2023.

My research examines birds (and occasionally other organisms such as bats and frogs), to understand the context, function and physical principles underlying animal form, biomechanics and bioacoustics. Simultaneously, I use sound and other non-invasive methods to study basic ecological processes. I have particular interests in the biomechanics of form and function, in the natural history of barbets and of grassland birds, and in the intersection between classical natural history and modern methods of inquiry. In addition to the above, I have a long-standing interest in the history of biological exploration, particularly across Asia and the Pacific, and in what we can learn from museum collections around the world. 

Finally, I strongly believe in not defining myself by study organism, study site or technique used in my lab, although birds are frequently my inspiration for study. Therefore, we address a wide variety of research questions, typically employing a comparative approach to obtain more general insight that goes beyond the taxon or system we study. I also believe strongly in the process of research and of discovery, and that having fun with this process will inevitably lead to exciting new questions to explore. These same convictions drive my approach to teaching: I teach mainly at the blackboard, try to test problem-solving abilities and attempt to link my study subjects to general patterns across scientific disciplines.