Temperature is not just a property of life; it is a property of matter. Nothing escapes its control. Temperature has been found to be linked to every aspect of a species' existence and survival on this planet. Climate change is now recognized as a major force driving alterations in the fitness, behaviour, distribution, and ecology of species across the planet. We ask some serious questions about this physical challenge to life.

In my lab we work on:

PI Profile:

I grew up in the Thar Desert and loved the mountains. So, the Himalayas is my second home. I am broadly trained in ecological and evolutionary physiology. After finishing my doctoral work at Parkash Lab at the Bioscience Department (now Genetics) of Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, I held postdoctoral appointments at the University of Nevada (Allen Gibbs) and the University of Pennsylvania (Paul Schmidt), USA. While working at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, I decided to return to India on the prestigious Ramanujan Fellowship from DST-SERB, Government of India. I liked Stepwell so much that I decided to settle down here and set up the first lab integrating 'ecology, evolution, and physiology' in Western India (in 2017). I am interested in understanding the fundamental questions around spatiotemporal variations, metabolic ecology, and rapid adaptation in natural populations of insects. These queries aim to understand 'Organismal responses to climate change'. I describe my research approach as ‘Macrophysiology to molecules’. I teach evolutionary biology and thermal physiology at the School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University. 

Member:

• European Society of Evolutionary Biology ESEB

• International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health ISEMPH

Editorial Board Member:

Journal of Thermal Biology IF3.2 Publisher: Elsevier

Current Research in Insect Science IF2.2  Publisher: Elsevier

Current Opinion in Insect Science IF5.2 Publisher: Elsevier

Scientific Data IF9.8 Publisher: Springer Nature

Appointments:

• 2020-present; Associate Professor, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, India

• 2017-20; Assistant Professor, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, India

• 2012-17; Research Associate, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

• 2011-12; Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Georgia, Athens, USA

• 2008-11; Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA

• 2007-08; Indo-Isreal Cultural Exchange Programme, Visitor Scholar, Institute of Evolution, Haifa, Israel 

what we do 

We study ecological- and evolutionary-physiology, focusing on mechanisms fundamental to the understanding of ecological patterns and processes, survival in and adaptation to a changing world. 

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Currently, my Lab is focusing on the following three research areas:

1. Spatiotemporal variations

2. Metabolic ecology

3. Rapid adaptations

my approach is...

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Macrophysiology to molecules 

Would you be interested in joining the lab? Check out openings.