School of Natural Sciences and Engineering

I am a field-based ecologist and cognitive biologist working at the intersection of animal behaviour, cognition, and conservation. My research seeks to answer a central question: “How are animals adapting to anthropogenic stressors?” By integrating behavioural and cognitive insights with ecological perspectives, I aim to develop context-specific strategies for conserving biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services in landscapes undergoing rapid urbanization, climate change, and agricultural intensification.

My work spans multiple taxa, including amphibians, reptiles, crows, owls, mammals, and non-human primates, and explores how animals do what they do in environments increasingly shaped by human activity.

Some of my ongoing projects include:

1. Primate novel use of tools and strategies in response to human food provisioning

2. House crow adaptation to urban habitats

3. Amphibian personality in urban environment

4. Herpetofauna ecology and roadkill prevention

5. Ecosystem services and adaptive pest management

6. Mammal ecology and conservation

7. Recovering traditional strategies for human-wildlife coexistence

I am an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Urban Ecology, Biodiversity, Evolution, and Climate Change at Jain University, Bengaluru, India, where I lead the Animal Behaviour and Cognition in Conservation (ABCC) research group. Through my research and mentorship, I strive to bridge fundamental science with applied conservation.