Shagun Sabharwal (2019-21) worked on the scincid genus Sphenomorphus, investigating its unusual distribution in the Indian subcontinent. Her study examined species relationships, biogeographic history, and the timing of diversification in relation to major geological changes. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Florida.
Himesh Kumar Behera (2019-21) worked on the coevolution between geckos and their ectoparasitic mites, a group with more than 200 described species parasitizing lizards. His study explored their evolutionary interactions and host-parasite relationships.
Alex Mahesh (2020-22) worked on ant-mimicking spiders, investigating their evolutionary relationships with the model ants they resemble. He is currently a graduate student at the Indian Institute of Science.
Vishwa Jagati (2020-22) worked on examining the nesting strategies of the Yellow-wattled Lapwing, focusing on nest concealment and site selection. He re-joined the lab as a JRF, contributing to studies on speciation in the endemic skink genera Ristella and Kaestlea. He is currently a graduate student at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati
Madhura Agashe (May-December 2022) worked on the phylogeny and systematics of endemic skinks from the Western Ghats for her JRF. She is currently a graduate student at the Indian Institute of Science.
Karunakar Majhi (2021-23) worked on species delimitation in frogs (Genus: Raorchestes), re-evaluating genetic sequences and applying multiple delimitation methods to estimate and validate species diversity within this groups.
Ashlesh Pattanaik (2021-23) worked on documenting the species richness and behaviour of orthopterans on the NISER campus, with a focus on acoustic cues in mate interactions and predator- prey relationships. His study also included comparative behavioural analyses with closely related species. He is currently a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Anshuman Satyaswarup (2021-23) worked on the sleep ecology of the oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor), focusing on perch selection, sleeping posture, and orientation under artificial light and dark conditions in relation to age and size. His study also examined site fidelity and estimated their population density on the NISER campus.
Satabdi Mandal (Jan-Jun 2024) worked on exploring the phylogenetic histories, distribution patterns, speciation, and endemic radiation of skinks across the sky-islands of the Western Ghats for her JRF.
Maitreya Sil (2022-24) worked on understanding the evolution of colour morphs in the endemic Western Ghats land snail Indrella ampulla for his postdoctoral work, using genomic tools to address related evolutionary questions. He also assisted other lab members in uncovering the biogeographic histories of two families of skinks. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Jain (Deemed-to-be) Univeristy, Bangalore
Manali Bannerjee (2022-24) worked on exploring the impact of anthropogenic activity on relatedness (particularly inbreeding) and stress reactivity in the fan-throated lizard Sitana sushili, across urban and rural areas around the campus.
Ayush Parag (2022-24) worked on the behavioural aspects of Batesian mimicry in ant-mimicking spiders. He also worked on documenting the spider fauna of the campus and exploring various aspects of their biology. He is currently a graduate student at the University of Melbourne.
Sanjay S Kumar (2022-25) worked on the influence of host plant phylogeny and functional traits on the phyllosphere bacterial community composition in a wet tropical forest ecosystem in the Central Western Ghats (Kadumane). Additionally, he worked on quantifying the effect of seasonal change on these communities.
Prapti Satpathy (2023-25) worked on the systematics and diversification of the gastropod lineage Neritimorpha, focusing on the evolution of habitat as a trait. Her research analyzed trait state transitions to identify associations with specific paleoclimatic events and rate shifts in diversification.
Aniket V Ranjangaonkar (2023-25) worked on the historical biogeography of the Indian subcontinent. His research integrates geological, paleoclimatic, and fossil evidence to understand India’s northward movement and its past biotic connections with surrounding landmasses. He is currently a cotutelle PhD at the University of Groningen, Netherlands and Macquarie University, Sydney
Aditi Panda (2023-25) worked on the distribution and biogeography of the globally distributed subgenus of Ficus, Urostigma. She found that they originated in Asia and dispersed to other tropical landmasses via large frugivores and transient land bridges. She is a currently a graduate student at the University of Birmingham,
Avrajjal Ghosh (2019-25) worked on investigating speciation and dispersal patterns in the Western Ghats endemic skink genera Kaestlea and Ristella. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Charles University, Prague, Czechia
Bikash Sahoo (2019-25) worked on the phylogeny and biogeography of the army ant genus Aenictus. He is currently a post doctoral fellow (ANRF-NPDF) at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata.
Pranoy Kishore Borah(2020-2026). His PhD work primarily encompassed comparative phylogeography of two widespread skink species (genus Sphenomorphus) across Tropical Asia. He also looked at the disjunct distributional pattern among the 5 Indian species of this group of skinks. 4 being restricted to the Northeast India while only one species restricted to the southern Western Ghats. This eventually turned out to be most probable case of a unique long distance trans-Oceanic dispersal from Sunda shelf to southern peninsular India.
Joel J Mathew (2024-2026) worked on ground-nesting birds. He explored how camouflage, activity patterns, and environmental variable such as temperature influence anti-predator behaviour in Indian Thick-knee (Burhinus indicus ) and Yellow-wattled Lapwing ( Vanellus malabaricus )
Nissy Milcia William (2024-2026) worked on understanding how urbanization affects the genetic diversity and population structure of Sushil’s fan throated lizard, Sitana sushili
Nitha Fathima Nazir (2024-2026) worked on how the invasive plant Chromolaena odorata impacts plants, soils, and microbes.
Shivanshi Gupta (2025-2026) used species distribution modelling to understand climate driven range shifts in Sparrasidae spiders. Using secondary occurrence data analysis we found a positive correlation between environmental niche breadth and geographic range size for Sparrasidae spiders. And further used five species representing different habitats and range sizes to see how their distribution might change due to future climate change.