I am trained as a wildlife biologist and am interested in exploring the application of genetics in biodiversity conservation. I work in the field of connectivity conservation utilizing non-invasive samples and landscape genetics analysis to prioritize areas important to maintaining gene flow. With a keen interest in carnivores, especially small cats, my doctoral work tries to understand the role of tiger corridors in maintaining functional connectivity of sympatric felids across multi-use landscapes of India. Moving from species to landscape, population numbers to their connectivity, and single-species to multi-species approaches are the central ideas that my ongoing research work attempts to address.

I study Lantana camara, a perennial invasive shrub native to Central and South America. During the colonial era, this species was introduced into many countries across the globe, like India, Australia and South Africa as a garden plant. Although an ecologically important species in many countries, the species identity of invasive Lantana remains unclear. We are using genomics tools to understand the species identity and trace the invasion history of Lantana in India. Through this endeavour, we are trying to further our understanding of this ecologically important species.

I am interested in the studying the biology of wild and elusive species using DNA as well as chemicals. For my PhD thesis, I am studying how adaptive variation, specifically immune gene variation is structured in tigers. I mine through whole genome resequencing data to understand evolutionary forces that have shaped diversity at immune genes. I am reconstructing the pedigree of a population of tigers in North Western India to track inbreeding and inbreeding depression over generations. Lastly, I am trying to identify odor cues for age, sex and health in tiger scats and urine to design an easy to use and inexpensive monitoring technique. I received a National Geographic Society grant to carry out this work. 

I am interested in understanding the impacts of the human footprint on wildlife connectivity using genomic tools. I have been involved in multiple conservation-related projects on different species. For my PhD, I am looking at the effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic connectivity and population dynamics of multiple species of mammals particularly ungulates and meso-carnivores in the central Indian landscape.

I also intend to study the impact of changing land-use patterns and major highways bisecting the landscape on animal movement and gene flow and how it affects the spatial distribution of genetic variation. Simultaneously, I am developing new methods in conservation genomics that would enable the use of poor-quality, non-invasive samples for the generation of genomic data. 

Why are black or pseudomelanistic tigers only found in Similipal tiger reserve, India? What is causing the reappearance of long-lost rare colouration phenotypes like golden and white in wild tiger populations? I am interested in colouration phenotypes in tigers, their genetic and evolutionary drivers, and their implications for individual and population health. My research involves identifying the genetic mutation associated with disruption-of-stripes or pseudomelanistic phenotype, investigating the evolutionary drivers of white, golden and pseudomelanistic phenotypes in wild tiger populations, and understanding the potential loss of function mutations contributing to inbreeding depression often associated with captive populations of rare coloured tigers.