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Brief Bio
Brief Bio
We are all simply Stardust and Hyper-caffeinated Pleistocene Apes attempting to debug our own operating systems. At my core, I am a full professor of Biology at the Central University of Punjab and a relentless science communicator. I deconstruct the blueprints of existence; determine how the evolutionary machinery functions; and then explain that beautiful chaos to the remainder of humanity.
Early on, I came to realize that Nature does not respect ego — it only acknowledges adaptation and generative fitness. Driven by perhaps some sort of hyperactive survival algorithm, I sprinted through my early academic pursuits — earning a B.Sc. Gold Medal and achieving the CSIR-JRF on my first try. This initial momentum allowed me to travel globally. I completed my Ph.D. in Marine Biology as a MEXT scholar and spent considerable amounts of time studying tidal zones around the world as part of alumni programs at Friday Harbor Labs (U.S.A.) and Marine Biological Association (U.K.).
At heart, I am a scout. Wherever I am searching for Honest Signals amidst ecological noise, either as an expedition scientist on the harsh desiccating Antarctic ice sheets or scouring coastal regions along India, my sole objective remains finding these signals. By applying Occam's Razor to Global Biogeography, I have led my team to discover seven new species — including Bryum bharatiense — an extremophic moss that survives Antarctic winters due to its ability to thrive off penguin guano. It is Nature's greatest example of Recycling.
The laboratory is my crucible for First Principles thinking. We have churned out 135 peer-reviewed papers, authored 6 books, and secured ₹2.8 Crores to fund 17 active research projects. But my proudest metric isn't my h-index; it’s my intellectual offspring. I have successfully guided 9 PhD scholars and am currently architecting the minds of 9 more, teaching them that learning from failure is the ultimate kaizen loop.
Apparently, applying radical clarity to science communication occasionally gets you noticed by the "macro-organisms" of human society. I was awarded the “President’s Inspired Teacher” recognition in 2015 and the “Teaching Innovator Award” in 2020. I currently serve as an elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, sit on advisory boards for the International Science Council (Paris) and the IUCN (Geneva), and was recently inducted into the UN-SDG-7 Reference Group to help shape international clean energy policy. I treat these not as trophies to polish, but as levers to engineer systemic change.
However, a life spent entirely in the intellect is a maladaptive trait. I strive for eudaimonia—a flourishing life lived according to nature and reason. I am an ardent cyclist, a zero-waste advocate, and a frequent blood donor. And because I believe in taking the concept of a circular economy to its absolute biological conclusion, I have pledged my body and organs for posthumous donation via the Government of India's NOTTO program. After all, once my consciousness logs off, I would rather my hardware be used to train the next generation of curious explorers than simply turn to ash.
BBC Coverage of my Antarctic Discovery: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57732014
The Guardian (UK) coverage of my Acetabularia discovery: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/31/discovered-in-the-deep-the-mermaids-wineglass-algae-acetabularia-jalakanyakae
BBC Coverage of Acetabularia Discovery https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58240416
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Bast
Rehman, W.U, Gupta, K and Bast, F. (2021). Morpho-phylogenetic assessment of a new moss species Bryum bharatiense Sp. Nov. (Bryaceae) from Larsemann Hills, Eastern Antarctica Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2021.07.001
Saini, K.C., Madhu, A., Kohli, R.K., Gupta, K. And Bast, F. (2021) Morpho-molecular assessment of Acetabularia jalakanyakae Sp. Nov. (Dasycladales, Chlorophyta)- a new species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences. 50 (09) DOI: 10.56042/ijms.v50i09.42756
Kundu, P. and Bast, F. (2021). Molecular data reveals two new species of Hypnea (Cystocloniaceae, Rhodophyta) from India: Hypnea indica sp. nov. and Hypnea bullata sp. nov. Botanica Marina 64(2): Accepted.
Bast F, Rani P. (2019) “First report of uniseriate free-living Ulva species, with description of new species Ulva uniseriata sp. nov (Chlorophyta, Ulvales).” Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences 48(11) 1687-1691
Bast F, John AA, Bhushan S. (2014) Strong endemism of bloom-forming tubular Ulva in Indian west coast, with description of Ulva paschima Sp. Nov. (Ulvales, Chlorophyta). PLoS ONE 9(10): e109295. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109295
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