Lab Head
Dr. Aniruddha Datta-Roy
The Indian subcontinent has had a fairly eventful past, drifting away from Gondwanaland, colliding into Eurasia, and picking up and exchanging biota along the way. Add to this a mix of mountains, rivers, and other geographic barriers, and you end up with a fascinating combination of lineages, some very old, others more recent arrivals.
In the BIOGEOSYS lab, we are interested in how all of this has shaped biodiversity, largely in Tropical Asia. We use systematics to figure out how species are related, and phylogenetics, biogeography, and macroevolution to understand where they come from, how they diversify, and why they occur where they do, often working on South Asian herpetofauna.
As a lab, we also care a lot about natural history and fieldwork, and try to keep that central while using modern analytical tools.
I am, at heart, a field biologist who spends an unreasonable amount of time in front of a computer.
PhD Students
Arijit Dutta (2023-
My academic journey has been a captivating exploration into the realm of herpetofauna and their distribution patterns. What initially began as a fascination with snakes has grown into a profound interest in understanding the complexities of various herpetofaunal species, unravelling their ecological significance and evolutionary histories. My research in the lab mainly focuses on the systematics of skinks belonging to the genus Eutropis. I am particularly interested in understanding the factors that have led to their rapid diversification within two different landmasses – the Indian subcontinent and the Philippine archipelago. I am also intrigued about the phylogeography of two widespread, cryptic and related species complexes of Eutropis: E. macularia and E. allapallensis. As a part of this study, I intend to understand if there are cryptic lineages present under these species groups and whether there is significant gene flow taking place between the different metapopulations, through the use of a large-scale genomic dataset.
Beyond my academic pursuits, I find solace and inspiration in the natural world. My passion for sketching allows me to capture the intricate details of herpetofauna through art. Additionally, I indulge in the art of birdwatching, marveling at the diverse avian species that inhabit my surroundings. However, my truest passion lies in night-time herping, as I embark on thrilling expeditions to observe and study these captivating creatures in their nocturnal habitats.
Prathamesh Amberkar (2025-
I joined the lab in August 2025 as a PhD student. I am broadly interested in macroecology and macroevolution. Lizards have always fascinated me, and I use them as a model system in my studies. I am looking at the function and evolution of tubercles—spine-like structures—on the back of geckos. I think that they reduce aerodynamic pressure drag in geckos. I am planning to explore three interesting questions: 1) Do tubercles reduce aerodynamic drag in geckos? 2) Do geckos use these tubercles to reduce aerodynamic drag, and 3) have tubercles helped geckos in diversification? I plan to use a series of wind-tunnel experiments and comparative phylogenetic methods to explore these questions. Beyond research, I spend much of my time outdoors, searching for and photographing snakes, frogs, and lizards, or climbing boulders and mountains. When indoors, I prefer sleeping.
Deva Charan S S (2026-
I joined Roy’s lab as a PhD student in August 2026. I am interested in understanding how biodiversity evolves across space and time. I am strongly interested in natural history, trait evolution, macroevolution, and phylogeography, with a particular interest in herpetofauna and freshwater crabs of the Western Ghats. I am very much fascinated by the natural history of tropical organisms and by how observations from the field can inform questions in evolutionary biology. I am also interested in documenting biodiversity and communicating natural history through short natural history notes. I am also currently authoring a pictorial field guide to the herpetofauna of Pookode, Wayanad (You can track it’s progress here). Checkout my personal website here.
Rittika Roy (2026-
I am Rittika Roy. I have become a part of this lab from August, 2026. Sometimes I imagine the world’s geological realms as vast stages where the great plays of life are performed. Driven by ecological pressures, the main characters—individual organisms—disperse across the scene, while the ultimate director, evolution , continuously refines and reshapes the diversity of each stage over time. Among all these characters, Snakes own my heart. This ophiophilia sparked my interest in herpetofauna. I’m interested to explore the subterranean evolutionary histories those are responsible for present day distribution of herpetofauna with the help of phylogenomic studies. Beyond research, I enjoy painting, reading, and listening to music.
Int. MSc Students
Kashish Krishania
I joined the lab as a Master’s student in August 2025. Since then, I have been working on bacterial communities inhabiting the aerial parts of the plant or the phyllosphere. These communities, although very important for their plant hosts, are quite unexplored in the tropical forest ecosystems. Addressing this knowledge gap, I am using the relationships/similarities between the Phyllosphere bacterial communities of multiple host plant species found in a wet tropical forest of the Central Western Ghats to infer how the host functional traits and host phylogeny affect these communities. Alongside this, I am also looking at how these communities, the relationships/similarities between them and host factors affecting them change across seasons.
Apart from being constantly awestruck by the way nature acts as a huge network where the connections have shaped what once existed, what we see today and what might come next, I spend my time making art, watching movies and learning new things!
Abhishek
I am fascinated by the incredible diversity of animals. For my current project, I am working on trait evolution in the suborder Gekkota. I am analyzing how traits like the presence or absence of tubercles, femoral and cloacal pores, and different lamellae types are associated with different microhabitats. And how microhabitats have influenced these traits to produce the diversity we see today.
In my free time, I relax by playing video games and listening to music.
Arya Niyogi
Growing up watching nature and science shows on television, I developed a deep fascination with the natural world and a curiosity about how life originates and evolves. Of all creatures, ants captivated me the most. As a child, I spent hours observing their trails, food collection, and collective behaviour. What began as a childhood fascination gradually evolved into a scientific curiosity, inspiring me to explore ant behaviour and social organisation as a researcher and pursue my master’s project on ants.
Beyond academics, I have always had a deep affection for literature. I am also drawn to theatre and mime, and more recently, I have developed a particular fondness for Urdu shayari. I often find myself pondering over a beautiful sher of Faiz:
‘Faiz’ thi raah sar-ba-sar manzil, Hum jahaan pahunche, kaamyaab aaye.
Ann Sam Swaras
My fascination with the natural world began from my love of watching things (and occasionally poking them to see what they do) and solving puzzles. I enjoy observing wildlife around me, which has given me a broad interest in behavioural ecology, and studying behaviour has become a practical way to discover, understand, and appreciate the patterns I observe. I am very fond of invertebrates and the diversity in their interactions with other individuals and the environment. For my project, I will be studying spiders to understand how effective mimicry can be.
When I am not working, you can find me photographing critters and going on nature walks or looking for good tea; or, if indoors, cooking, reading, and (listening to, playing, reading about, or attempting to make) music, among a myriad of other hobbies I pick up once in a while.
Ketki kabir
Unlike the hardcore field biologists this lab is packed with, I’m more of a bench-work scientist. I am fascinated with evolution at the molecular level, especially of molecules that predated life itself. I work in collaboration with Dr Ameta to understand how early RNA molecules can catalyse their own formation as well as the formation of other molecules. I will be testing their functionality in different phase-separated environments which serve as a model for protocells. When I am not nerding out about the Origins of Life, I am using my precious time to build my obscenely large screen time. My less productive interests include reading, watching movies, solving puzzles and playing board games with my lab mates.
Neha S Prasannan
Melanitis leda (Common evening brown) is a tropical satyrine butterfly found widespread in India. A striking feature of this butterfly is its seasonal polyphenism. It exists as two morphs: the Wet Season Form (WSF) and the Dry Season Form (DSF) in their respective seasons. WSF is characterised by well-differentiated eyespots, shorter tails and smaller wings, whereas DSF is characterised by reduced eyespots against variable wing backgrounds that resemble the dry season resting backgrounds. My work focuses on quantifying differences in traits between the two morphs and looking into their possible ecological significance, especially in relation to predator avoidance tactics like camouflage. Broadly, I study how phenotypic plasticity helps in survival in changing environments by switching strategies. Previously, I have also worked on plankton ecology and on the analysis of mud-puddling behaviour in butterflies of India.
Subhasish Nayak
I have always been fascinated by animal behaviour and how animals interact with their environment. Growing up near the coast of Odisha, about 20 km from Rushikulya, I would often spend time in the beach. My curiosity subconsciously turned toward the olive ridley sea turtles that gather on the shore in large numbers during nesting season. Observing arribada sparked my interest in understanding these patterns and the underlying ecological processes. Now I’m working as a master’s student in Roy’s lab, where my interests have settled into behavioural ecology specifically, how an animal’s behaviour relates to the environment where it lives in. I want to explore the sleep ecology of the oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor).
Beyond research, I make videos for my YouTube channel and I’m equally at home on a basketball court, football field, or sprinting track. Whether I’m behind a camera, on the field, or watching an animal do something unexpected, I like finding new ways to engage with the world around me.