Ratna
Education
PhD Ecology, Indian Institute of Science, Centre for Ecological Sciences, India, 2004-2010.
MSc Zoology, University of Calcutta, India, 2001-2003
BSc Zoology, University of Calcutta, India, 1999-2001
Professional Experience
Associate Professor, Biological and Life Sciences Division, School of Arts & Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Gujarat, India, June 2023-present
Assistant Professor, Biological and Life Sciences Division, School of Arts & Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Gujarat, India, January 2018-June 2023
Research Associate, University of Minnesota, Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, St Paul, MN, 2016-2018
Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota, Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, St Paul, MN, 2012-2016
Aditya
I joined the Ecology and Environment Lab as a PhD student in May 2024, having completed my Masters in Zoology from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Currently, I am exploring various behavioural/ecological contexts which might stimulate formation of social systems in Mugger Crocodiles
Amani
I am a Master’s thesis student in the lab, pursuing my degree from Ahmedabad University. I am interested in exploring individualistic behavioural traits using the Sailfin Catfish, a fresh water fish invasive for various parts of the globe including India, as a model organism.
Brinky
I am a PhD student in the Ecology and Environment Lab, and I joined the team in August 2019. My doctoral research focuses on understanding ecological adaptation of the Mugger Crocodile populations across three geographically diverse habitats within the state of Gujarat. I did my masters' from BVIEER in wildlife biology, and my dissertation was on understanding human-mugger conflict in the Vadodara district, Gujarat.
Chena
I am a PhD student in the Ecology and Environment Lab, and I joined the lab as a Master's thesis student in 2019 and have joined as a Ph.D. student since 2020. I have completed my integrated Masters in Life Sciences degree from Ahmedabad University. I am studying causal relationship between environmental stimuli and ecological processes using two congeneric, cichlid species.
Suman
I am a PhD student in the Ecology and Environment Lab, and I joined the team in August 2019. I am working on invasive fish biology and curious to know about the community-level interactions among exotic and native species. In particular, my research focuses on ecology and management of the exotic sailfin catfish (Pterigoplichtys sp.), native to Amazon rainforest, which has been introduced in India by aquaculture trade. I have completed post graduation in marine biology from Pondicherry University, Port Blair, A & N Islands.
Tathagata
I joined the Ecology and Environment Lab as a PhD student in 2023 and completed my masters thesis from IISER Kolkata. I always find it fascinating how animals behave and interact with the environment. I would like to understand basking behaviour in mugger crocodiles and different ecological and physiological contexts associated with that behaviour
Alumni
Kartikey, Masters thesis student, submitted thesis on "Characterizing morphometric and pigmentation traits for two different populations of green chromide (Etroplus suratensis), a freshwater fish native to India"
Dwija Panwar, Undergraduate thesis student, submitted thesis on "Understanding Alarm Response in fresh water cichlid species, Etroplus suratensis"
Eva Gajera, Undergraduate thesis student, submitted thesis on "Role of barbels in sensory perception in catfish"
Nirali Panchal, Masters thesis student, submitted thesis on "Non-invasive monitoring of stress physiology in leopards (Panthera pardus) in captivity"
Heli Raval, Masters thesis student, submitted thesis on "Understanding shoaling behavior in a freshwater fish - Etroplus maculatus"
Aditi Shah, Masters thesis student, submitted thesis on "Understanding choice behaviour in context of novel versus familiar enviornment in a native cichlid fish, Etroplus maculatus"