Alumni
Post Docs #
Dr Brawin Kumar R | IISER Tirupati Postdoctoral Fellow | 2021-2022
Post Doctoral Thesis: Phylogeography, taxonomic reassessment of the endemic Indian rock rats in the genus Cremnomys (Rodentia, Muridae) to understand the evolutionary history and climate change impacts for conservation.
Dr Bishwarup Paul | Postdoctoral Fellow | 2019-2020
Project: Impact of human-influenced rapid environmental changes on Indian palm squirrels.
PhD Students #
Swati Udayraj. 2025. Understanding squirrel distribution in response to anthropogenic change in South Asia. PhD Dissertation, IISER Tirupati.
Nivetha M. 2024. Evolution of colour and pattern traits in squirrels: an integrative approach. PhD Dissertation, IISER Tirupati.
Harsha Kumar. 2024. Adaptations of pikas to alpine stressors of the Tibetan Marginal Mountains. PhD Dissertation, IISER Tirupati.
Researchers #
Zeba Madani | Researcher | 2023-2025: Metabarcoding of diet contents of carnivores, especially brown bears in Himachal Pradesh.
Jeevan Xavier | Researcher | 2022-2024
Projects: Microscopic analysis of the diet of Jungle cats.
Aashritha Sankara | Researcher | 2023-2024
Projects: Scat analysis for species identification and diet studies of the brown bear Ursus arctos isabellinus and the carnivores of Kutch in Gujarat. She also worked on the leopard conflict project in Tirupati.
Senan D'Souza | Researcher | 2017-2023
Projects: Distribution of small mammals in Ladakh; Small mammal trapping in various landscapes across India; Biodiversity inventories at a mine site near Tirupati.
MS Thesis #
Kavitha Unni | IISER Tirupati BS-MS student | 2023-2024.
Master's Thesis: Understanding patterns of sympatry and resource partitioning in mesocarnivores. Master's Thesis, IISER Tirupati.
Rithika S| Researcher | 2021-2022
Master's Thesis (Pondicherry University): A study on the usage of a citizen science platform as a tool for biodiversity analysis across the urban-rural gradient of Tirupati.
Harsha Jagadeesh | IISER Tirupati BS-MS student | 2021-2022
Master's Thesis: A study on camouflage-influenced behavioural decisions in Funambulus palmarum
Keerthi O | IISER Tirupati BS-MS student | 2021-2022
Master's Thesis: Coat colouration and camouflage advantages in giant squirrels in the genus Ratufa.
Anushesh Nigam | IISER Tirupati BS-MS student | 2020-2021
Master's Thesis: Quantitative analysis of macronutrients in palm squirrel diet.
Mrugank Dake | IISER Tirupati BS-MS student | 2020-2021
Master's Thesis: Seasonal patterns in acoustics of palm squirrels.
Dhanesh Ponnu | Researcher | 2018-2020
Project: Habitat associations of pikas in the Trans-Himalayas.
Master's Thesis (AVC College), 2018: Nest site selection in Funambulus palmarum.
Shijisha AC | IISER Tirupati BS-MS student | 2017-2020
Master's Thesis: Coat colour variation in palm squirrels of the genus Funambulus.
Pranav Unnikrishnan | IISER Tirupati BS-MS student | 2019-2020
Master's Thesis: Explaining the evolution of colour & patterns in squirrels using meta-analyses and experimental approaches.
Athira Aravind | Researcher | Spring, Summer 2019
Master's Thesis(Mar Athanasios College For Advanced Studies, Tiruvalla): Amplification and Sequence Analysis of Nuclear gene (EMB) of Indian Euphorbia species
Sanjay Prasad | Researcher | Spring 2019
Master's Thesis (Pondicherry University): Habitat selection of Indian giant squirrel Ratufa indica.
BS Thesis Students #
Kartik Pillai | Researcher | Spring 2020
Bachelor's project: Genetics and diet analysis of the small felids of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai.
Projects #
Pooja Gupta | Independent Multimedia Artist | 2020-2021
Project: Using social networking tools to communicate key scientific and conservation messages regarding the squirrels of India.