I am broadly interested in processes shaping patterns of diversity and distribution in organisms. These include factors operating at ecological and evolutionary time scales that shape species range and distribution of genetic diversity. For my PhD, I studied dispersal and connectivity in intertidal snails along the Indian coastline using molecular tools, species distribution models and ocean flow simulations. I also enjoy writing and have previously contributed news, interviews and features about science and the people behind it. More details can be found here.

Email: bharti6587@gmail.com 

Website - https://sites.google.com/view/bhartidk.

I work on invertebrates, mainly micro-crustaceans, in inland freshwater bodies in the Western ghats of India. The Western Ghats, a mega-diverse region, faces tremendous anthropogenic pressure and effects of climate change which are accelerating species and habitat loss – more so for freshwater invertebrate taxa which are understudied. Hence, conducting systematic surveys and developing baseline datasets of their diversity and ecology in inland waters forms is one of the broad aims of my research.

As part of my postdoctoral research at EvoEco Lab at CCMB, I used molecular phylogenetic methods to understand the evolutionary biogeography of freshwater Diaptomidae (Crustacea: Copepoda) in peninsular India.

Mihir currently works at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements as a Freshwater Ecologist. 

Email: mihir.r.kulkarnii@gmail.com  

I am currently finishing up my MSc. in Environmental Studies and Resource Management from Teri School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi. Interdisciplinary research, particularly in biology and its intersections with geography and climate science, really excites me. My dissertation work at the Evol Eco lab involves looking at the historical biogeography of an ancient lineage of centipedes in peninsular India. Aside from research, I greatly enjoy reading, writing and travelling.

Maya is currently PhD student at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. 

Email: maya.99m@gmail.com 

My research interests are largely in the field of landscape ecology, biogeography and evolution. I am keen to understand how wildlife responds to large-scale habitat modifications and its evolutionary implications. My previous research has been focused on understanding the ecology of hornbills in the light of habitat modification and fragmentation. Apart from research, I enjoy (e)birding and writing popular articles in Marathi and English.  

Pooja is currently a PhD student at the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore. More details here

Email: pooja@ncf-india.org

I am currently using historical biogeography methods to resolve the phylogenetic relationships and trace the biogeographic history within Digitipes, an ancient genus of centipedes with cryptic lineages found primarily in the wet evergreen forests of the Congo basin and the Western Ghats of peninsular Indian region. With new species discovered in South-east Asia and a recently rediscovered species in the Eastern ghats, I wish to perform biogeographic analysis on a reconstructed time-calibrated phylogeny to test predictions for the Out of-India hypothesis and also to assess the role of vicariance and/or dispersal in the diversification of the centipede genus Digitipes in peninsular India. I also plan to employ metabarcoding techniques to look at the environmental and biogeography-based drivers of diversity, as a part of a systematic study on the diversity of soil arthropods across peninsular India. My research interests include evolutionary patterns of interspecific interactions, historical biogeography, and phylogeography. Apart from my research, I enjoy birding, reading, dancing, and travelling.

Payal is currently a Phd student at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Poland)

Email: dash.payal512@gmail.com 

My research interests are broadly in the field of trait evolution and behavioural ecology. For my masters’, at the Centre for Ecological Science, IISc, Bangalore, I performed a study correlating activity and aggression in Psammophilus dorsalis lizards, trying to broadly recognize the co-evolution of traits. Currently, I am working as a JRF at the Evolutionary Ecology lab at CCMB. Here, I hope to learn more about the evolutionary relationships, biogeography and diversity patterns of plant communities in the Western and Eastern Ghats of India. Apart from research, you can find me talking about queer and caste minorities in India, listening to people and collecting stories. In the long-term, I wish to communicate science and work closely with indigenous communities in the country.

Satabdi is currently a JRF at the NISER, Bhubaneswar, India

My overall interest lies in understanding the evolutionary drivers of species diversity. I previously worked on dietary metabarcoding of 3 vulture species across India at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. I'm currently working on similar aspects using centipede as a model system. This will feed into a larger question examining the role of diet and venom in the speciation of these cryptic species. For my master's project, I worked on understanding the functions of developmental genes in plants using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system. Besides science, I enjoy birding, music and cooking the most among all the other things.