Resume

Education

August 2024 - Ongoing

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali 

Ph.D.

Research Topic: Understanding the site-formation processes at Koloshi, a Late Quaternary cave site in Konkan, Maharashtra

Research Supervisor: Dr. Parth R. Chauhan

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July 2019 - August 2021

Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune

M.A. (Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology)

Dissertation: Late Pleistocene Geoarchaeology of the Ghod River, Maharashtra with reference to special sites

Research Supervisors: Dr. Gurudas Shete and Dr. Sushama G. Deo

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July 2019 - August 2021

Savitribai Phule Pune University

B.A. (History)

Minors in Geography and English

Work Experience

June 2025 - July 2025

Excavation Supervisor

Helped to train students in basic methods of systematic excavation and artefact analysis during the excavation of Tekkalakota, a site complex with Neolithic, Iron Age, and Early Historic remains in Southern Deccan.

Hartwick College, New York & Karnataka Department of Archaeology, Museums, and Heritage

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November 2022 - October 2023

Research Assistant

Analysing microliths and sediments from the site of Koloshi, a Late Quaternary cave site in Konkan, Maharashtra

Directorate of Archaeology and Museums

Government of Maharashtra

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June 2022 - May 2024

Project Assistant

Geoarchaeological assitance in STARS project titled, ‘Subsistence and symbolism in prehistoric India: Understanding environmental contexts in relation to Homo sapiens dispersals and adaptations’

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)

Mohali

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January 2022 - March 2022

Museum Intern

Help in digitizing and accession of the museum repository, along with guiding museum tours

Indian Numismatic, Historical, and Cultural Research Foundation (INHCRF)

Nashik

Publications

Tanksale, M., Jagtap, S., & Deo, S. G. (2022). New Perspectives on the Microlithic Assemblage from the Ghod River Valley, Western Maharashtra, Peninsular India. In S. G. Deo, A. Baptista, & J. Joglekar (Eds.), Adaptations Across Antiquity: Tracing Quaternary Environments and Prehistoric Cultural Responses in Peninsular India (pp. 291–305). ISPQS.

Conference Participation

Chauhan, P. R., Apte, R., Imchen, A., Tanksale, M., Dave, A. K., Risbud, S., & Garge, T. (2025). Koloshi – A Prehistoric Site in the Konkan Zone of Western India. Paper presented at the 10th World Archaeology Conference (WAC-10), Darwin.

Tanksale, M., Ambili, A., Dave, A. K., Begy, R. G., Timar-Gabor, A., Behera, S., Garge, T., Chauhan, P. R., Imchen, A., Apte, R., & Risbud, S. (2024). Late Quaternary Environments at Koloshi, A Prehistoric Cave Site in Konkan, Maharashtra. Poster presented at the 2nd Annual Indian Quaternary Congress, IISER Mohali 

Chauhan, P. R., & Tanksale, M. (2024). Expectations to evidence: Contemplating artifactual associations with Konkan Geoglyphs. Paper presented at the National Conference on Geo-glyphs of Konkan, Ratnagiri.

Tanksale, M., Deo, S. G., & Jagtap, S. (2023). Late Pleistocene Geoarchaeology of the Ghod River, A Tributary of Bhima, Maharashtra. Paper presented at an Overview of Recent Trends in Prehistoric Research in Maharashtra, Nashik.

Sukumaran, P., Ambrose, S. H., Owen, L. A., Verma, S., Vyas, V., Tanksale, M., & Chauhan, P. R. (2023). Late Pleistocene Climates and Environments in the Tapi River Valley, India, and associated palaeoanthropological significance. Paper presented at the XXI INQUA Congress 2023, Rome.

Joshi, A., Tanksale, M., Poojari, R., Chopra, S., Srinivas, A., Patnaik, R., Sukumaran, P., Kaur, A. P., Deshpande, A., Padhan, T., Singh, V., & Chauhan, P. R. (2023). A new assemblage of Proboscidean fossils from central India and associated stratigraphic and taphonomic observations. Paper presented at the 53rd Indian Archaeological Society (IAS); 48th Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies (ISPQS); 44th History and Culture Society (HCS): Joint Annual Conference, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Tanksale, M., & Deo, S. G. (2021). Recent field investigations of the Late Pleistocene microlithic culture of the Ghod Basin, District Pune, Maharashtra. Paper presented (online) at the 8th Annual Workshop on Explorations in Maharashtra (EiM8), University of Mumbai.