Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, India.
+91-0135-2646251
shrushti [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in
About
I am a molecular ecologist exploring how habitat fragmentation and climate change alter species interactions. My Ph.D. examined genetic connectivity of large carnivores in Maharashtra using population genetics and landscape modelling. My interests span population genetics, landscape ecology, ancient DNA, and bioinformatics. Recently, I investigated the impact of the North American fur trade on furbearers using modern and ancient DNA. Since joining the Wildlife Institute of India in 2025, my research focuses on how Anthropocene-driven changes reshape community-level interactions. I aim to integrate modern genetic tools with classical ecological methods to develop effective conservation strategies for threatened species.
Academic Positions
April 2025 - Present : Assistant Professor at Wildlife Institute of India
October 2024 - Present : Academic Research Affiliate at University of Oklahoma
April 2023 - October 2024 : Post-doctoral Research Associate at University of Oklahoma
Education
PhD in Wildlife Science - Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
MSc in Biotechnology - The Maharaja SayajiRao University of Baroda, Vadodara
BSc in Biotechnology - Jiwaji University, Gwalior
Research Interest
Population Genetics
Landscape & Dispersal Ecology
Bioinformatics
Publications
Mychajliw, A., Zeltsar, M., Dennis, J., Ellms, M., Titmuss, T., Covino, K., Williams, S., Modi, S., Hofman, C. (2025). Muskrat Island: Behavioral Shifts of an Insular Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Population in the Gulf of Maine. Ecology and Evolution (accepted).
Gomes, L., Modi, S., Nigam, P., Habib, B. (2024). The bear truth: Analysing genetic variability and population structure in Sloth Bear across the Vidarbha Landscape using microsatellite markers. Diversity, 16(2), 74.
Modi, S., Mondol, S., Ghaskadbi, P., Nigam, P., Habib, B. (2022). Genetic evidence of differential dispersal pattern in the Asiatic wild dog: Comparing two populations with different pack sizes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, 993851.
Ghaskadbi, P., Bathla, N., Bhandari, A., Modi, S., Nigam, P., Habib, B. (2022). Feeding ecology of the endangered Asiatic wild dogs (Cuon alpinus) across tropical forests of the Central Indian Landscape. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 14029.
Alcantara, M.J.M., Modi, S., Ling, T.C., Monkai, J., He, X.U., Huang, S., Nakamura, A. (2022). Impacts of rubber plantations on community assembly of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a case study from monsoonal tropics of Xishuangbanna, southwest China. North-Western Journal of Zoology, 18(1).
Modi, S., Mondol, S., Nigam, P., Habib, B. (2021). Genetic analyses reveal demographic decline and population differentiation in an endangered social carnivore, Asiatic wild dog. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 16371.
Hennelly, L.M., Habib, B., Modi, S., Rueness, E.K., Gaubert, P., Sacks, B.N. (2021). Ancient divergence of Indian and Tibetan wolves revealed by recombination-aware phylogenomics. Molecular Ecology, 30(24), 6687-6700.
Modi, S., Habib, B., Ghaskadbi, P., Nigam, P., Mondol, S. (2019). Standardisation and validation of a panel of cross-species microsatellites to individually identify the Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus). PeerJ, 7, e7453.
Alcantara, M.J.M., Modi, S., Ling, T.C., Monkai, J., Xu, H., Huang, S., Nakamura, A. (2019). Differences in geographic distribution of ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) between forests and rubber plantations: a case study in Xishuangbanna, China, and a global meta-analysis. Myrmecological News, 29.
Biswas, S., Bhatt, S., Paul, S., Modi, S., Ghosh, T., Habib, B., ... & Mondol, S. (2019). A practive faeces collection protocol for multidisciplinary research in wildlife science. Current Science, 116(11), 1878-1885.
Modi, S., Mondol, S., Ghaskadbi, P., Hussain, Z., Nigam, P., Habib, B. (2018). Non-invasive DNA-based species and sex identification of Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus). Journal of Genetics, 97, 1457-1461.
Last updated 20-06-2025
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Dr. Shrushti Modi
Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, India.
+91-0135-2646251
shrushti [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in