Training Team Profile


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Dr. Ruchi Badola (Scientist-G and Principal Investigator)

E-mail:- ruchi[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in

Dr. Ruchi Badola works as a Scientist G at the Wildlife Institute of India, with the Department of Eco-Development Planning and Participatory Management. She studies human dimensions of biodiversity conservation and works closely with park-dependent communities and Indian policymakers to frame conservation solutions that make sense in the context of both local and global challenges including ecosystem service valuation, resource extraction, deforestation and other cultural practices that come into conflict with state-led conservation objectives. She specializes in community/stakeholder participation in biodiversity conservation; ecological economics; assessment of ecosystem services; sustainable livelihood; and gender issues in conservation. She is an internationally recognized scholar and is the author several peer-reviewed papers. At the international level she contributes to the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) and The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Assessments as Coordinating Lead Author and Lead Author respectively.

 

    
 

Dr. Syed Ainul Hussain (Project Manager )

E-mail:- hussain[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in

Dr. Syed Ainul Hussain joined the Wildlife Institute of India as a research fellow in 1986 and worked with the Chambal Aquatic Species Conservation Project. Subsequently, he obtained M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in wildlife sciences from the Centre for Wildlife and Ornithology, Aligarh Muslim University. He joined the Institute in 1994 as faculty and has been looking after the Wetlands and Coastal Habitat Management and Aquatic Species Conservation Program. He develops and implements courses related to wetlands and coastal habitat management, and wildlife and protected area management. He identifies and prioritizes areas for conservation at the landscape level, including prioritization of trans-boundary protected areas. His special interests include wildlife ecology, mountain ecosystem services and protected area management. He is working with the Otter Specialist Group as Focal, Red List Authority. He is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. He took part in the XV Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, during 1996–97, and is currently a member of the Government of India’s core group on Antarctic and Southern Ocean research. He has specialization in Wetlands and coastal habitat management; mountain ecosystem services; small carnivore ecology and conservation; management of small populations; protected area management.

 

   
      

Dr. Sangeeta Angom (Project Scientist & Training Coordinator)

E-mail:- sangeeta[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in, sangeetaangom[at]gmail[dot]com

I completed my Masters Degree in Zoology with specialization in “Cell and Molecular Genetics” from School of studies in Zoology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior (MP) in the year 2002 with a distinction certificate. Soon after, I pursued a Diploma Course in Environmental Law from WWF-India in 2003. Thereafter, I served as a Lecturer in Liberal College, Imphal from February, 2004 to December, 2004. I worked as a Research Fellow at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun from 2004-10 in the Project titled “Conservation Ecology of Sangai (Rucervus eldii eldii) and its wetland habitat” in Manipur. I received Rufford Grant Award for executing a conservation project titled “Conserving the endemic Manipur Brow-antlered deer in Keibul Lamjao National Park, North Eastern India (2011-12). In 2013 I was awarded Doctoral Degree from Saurashtra University; Rajkot in Wildlife Sciences, my research topic was “Demographic status and genetic variation of Sangai in Keibul Lamjao National Park”. I had also worked as Assistant Professor for 4 years (2013-16) in colleges affiliated to Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Central University, Srinagar, Gharwal, Uttarakhand. I joined Wildlife Institute of India (WII) as Project Scientist and Training Coordinator in National Mission For Clean Ganga (NMCG) – WII Project “Biodiversity and Ganga Conservation”under the Component-3 (Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders) on 5th May, 2017.

 

   
     
   
Training Team- Aakash Mohan Rawat  

Dr. Aakash Mohan Rawat (Project Associate)

E-mail:-aakashrawat[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in,  aakashrawat4444[at]gmail[dot]com

I have completed my Ph.D. in Geology from Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India. Amidst my Ph.D. I got 7 years of experience in water quality and stable water isotope analysis of rivers and springs. My work on identification of Geosystem services in relation to spring water and human needs published in globally appreciated journal Nature Scientific Reports.  I joined Wildlife Institute of India (WII) as Project Assistant Grade-II (Technical) in NMCG – WII Project in June, 2019 till Oct 2022 and continued the same as Project Associate from Oct. 2022 to till date. At WII-NMCG, I am engaged in establishing Ganga Aqualife Knowledge Centres (GAKC) in the Ganga Basin to engage the school students for the cause of the protection of Ganga and its biodiversity via various activities and workshops as well as to lead the ambitious “Catch the Rain” in Ganga Basin for water conservation. The purpose of establishing Ganga Aqualife Knowledge Centres in the Ganga Basin is to start the intangible process of Ganga conservation to proliferate the power of society for aforesaid objectives. Correlating and utilising my experience in geology with ecology would be my prime priority in this project..

 Research Contributions:

**Rawat, A.M., Bagri, D.S., Kumar. S., Badola, R., & Hussain S.A. (2022). Relationship of isotopic variation with spring density in the structurally controlled springs and related geosystemservices in Alaknanda Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, India. Scientific reports, 12(1), 1-9**

   
   
Training Team-Sana Shaikh

Sana Shaikh (Assistant Training Coordinator)

E-mail:- sana[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in, shaikhmsana[at]gmail[dot]com,

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology Engineering from PESIT, Bangalore and Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from UZH, Zurich. For my graduation I worked on isolation of actinomycetes from seawater (Marina Beach, Chennai) while for my post-graduation, I worked on type, size and amount of plastics floating on Lake Zurich, Switzerland and at its outflow Limmat (freshwater). I also worked at National Institute of Oceanography, Goa on exposure to microbiological and molecular analysis of seawater samples conducted on marine Bay of Bengal samples. Further, I worked at UNDP-BIOFIN on development of resource database on biodiversity finance along with monitoring, synthesis and analysis of BIOFIN developments, press clippings and reports. I have collective experience in the fields of scientific and aquatic research, writing, and communications. I joined Wildlife Institute of India as Assistant Training Coordinator under Component-2 (Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders) of the WII-NMCG Project.

     
     
 Training Team- Neha Negi  

Neha Negi (Assistant Training Coordinator)

E-mail:-negineha[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in

Originally from Uttarakhand, as an Army brat, I was born and brought up in different parts of India. I completed my Graduation in B.Sc. CBZ with specialization in Microbiology and my Post Graduation in M.Sc. Environmental Sciences with specialization in Natural Resource Management from Doon University, Dehradun. In my master’s internship, I did an assessment of WII lake shoreline vegetation from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and for my dissertation, I studied the potential of ecotourism in Assiganga valley, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.  Soon after, I completed a training on Parataxonomy of fauna from Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Thereafter, I worked as an international crew member on different ecological restoration projects and gained leadership experience from EarthCorps, Seattle, USA. Later, I worked on Human-Wildlife conflict in and around Corbett National Park with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Dehradun, Uttarakhand. I also worked with HISER society (NGO) for two years on different conservation and biodiversity related projects. I joined Wildlife Institute of India (WII) as an Assistant Training Coordinator in WII- NMCG Phase II Project under the Component-2 (Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders) on 25th June, 2022.

     
     
 Training Team-Rahul Gupta  

Rahul Gupta (Training Assistant)

I joined Wildlife Institute of India as Accounts Officer in 2017 under the project entitled ‘Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Implementation’. After successful completion of the project, I joined the trans boundary project between India and Nepal on Tiger monitoring in collaboration with Zoological society of London-UKFD-WII and got a vast experience of official work. By conducting international workshops/ meetings at MoEFCC, I also got experience of administrative works. Further, in 2020 I joined WII-National Mission for Clean Ganga Project as Training Assistant with a goal of achieving the targets and learning from the experienced scientists and dedicated myself to work for MAA GANGA.

     
     
 Training Team- Ashmika Aggarwal  

Ashmika Aggarwal (Project Assistant)

E-mail:-ashmika[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in

I did my Graduation in Physics, Chemistry, Math from DAV PG College and Post-Graduation in Cellulose and Paper Technology from Forest Research Institute of India, Dehradun (2018- 2020). I joined Wildlife Institute of India as an intern (2021) in the WII-NMCG project. Later, I got recruited as Project Assistant under Component-2 (Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders). Through this programme I got opportunities to interact with Ganga Praharis and other Stakeholders of the Ganga River, where I mainly working on designing posters, various outdoor and indoor activities for school children under the Bal Ganga Praharis Programme.

     
     
 Training Team- Simran Aggarwal  

Simran Aggarwal (Project Assistant) 

E-mail:-simran[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in, simranaggarwal67547[at]gmail[dot]com

I completed my Graduation from HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Uttarakhand in 2019. I have done my Post Graduation in Biotechnology from Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun Uttarakhand in 2021. In my master’s dissertation, I studied the ‘Genetic Diversity and Phylogeographic structure of Striped hyena in India”. I worked as a Project Intern at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun from August 2021 to May 2022 in the Project titled “All India Tiger Estimation Exercise” (AITEE). Soon after, I joined the Wildlife Institute of India as a Project Assistant in NMCG-WII Project ‘Planning and management for aquatic species conservation and maintenance of ecosystem services in the Ganga River basin for Clean Ganga’ under Component-2 (Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders) on 1st June 2022.

     
     
 Training Team- Sheetal Pal  

Sheetal Pal (Project Assistant)

E-mail:-sheetalpal16[at]gmail[dot]com

I have completed my M.Sc. in Zoology (Specialization in Wildlife) from Mohanlal Sukhadiya University, Udaipur, Rajasthan. After that, I joined IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Mandi, Himachal Pradesh for an M.Tech. Biotechnology Programme. I also cleared GATE-XL (Life Science) 2020, 2021, 2022 and Gujarat SET-2022 for Assistant Professor. I also have 8 years of NEET - Biology teaching experience. I joined the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) as Project Assistant in Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders under NMCG-WII Project in June 2022. My work in this project involves with the school students and Ganga Praharis, for the protection of Ganga and its biodiversity via various training activities and workshops as well as leading the "Catch the Rain" campaign in Ganga Basin for water conservation.

     
     
 Training Team- Ayushi Pandey  

Ayushi Pandey  (Project Assistant)

E-mail:-ayushi[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]inayushi2pandey.ap[at]gmail[dot]com

I did my Bachelors in Biotechnology from VBSP University, subsequently followed by Masters in Environmental Science from Banaras Hindu University. I studied agroecology for my dissertation since I was interested in managing agricultural landscapes during my master's programme. I also nurtured my interest in waste management and an interdisciplinary approach to community-based river conservation during my master's degree. Also, to gain a deeper grasp of it, I worked with local NGOs after finishing my master's. Now I have joined Wildlife Institute of India under NMCG-WII project ‘Planning and management for aquatic species conservation and maintenance of ecosystem services in the Ganga River basin for Clean Ganga’ as a Project Assistant in November 2022. Through this project, I'm looking forward to learning more about the various communities-based approaches and its effects on the river conservation.

     
     
 Training Team- Simren Dogra  

Simren Dogra (Project Assistant)

E-mail:-simren[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in, simrendogra2000[at]gmail[dot]com

Being born and raised in the lap of the Himalayas, I have a close relationship with the forests and nature and a dependency on them for daily needs. Since childhood, using the various herbs and trees in daily life, festivals, and ceremonies, for medicinal purposes, has always made me inquisitive about them. Being native to the forest and dependent on them, the concept to conserve and preserve them was always a moral obligation. Hence, I decided to pursue forestry. I Completed my Bachelors in Forestry from HNBGU University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand in 2020. During my bachelor's I learned and worked on various aspects of forestry. In the final year, I worked on Medicinal Plants of Temperate Regions and also conducted an Ethnobotanical survey while working as an intern in H.F.R.I, Shimla, in 2019. I also conducted Socio-economic survey during my training period. During that, I felt that I enjoy working with and within the community and their relation with the natural resources was relatable to me and my interest in community-based conservation arose there. I joined WII-NMCG Project in December 2020 and worked as an intern where I assisted in organizing various training programmes on Biodiversity conservation of Ganga River Basin for different stakeholders. It's a great opportunity to interact with people and to analyse their perspectives on surrounding nature and biodiversity. Presently, I am working as a Project Assistant in the same. I am very much keen to put more effort into and use my skills, and knowledge in the project. I feel fortunate while working and learning more and more in this project. In my leisure, I like traveling, camping, reading, and writing.

     
     
 Training Team- Arti Chauhan  

Ms. Aarti Chauhan (Project Assistant)

E-mail:-aartichauhan[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in, aartichauhan14051998[at]gmail[dot]com

I completed my bachelor's in science from DAV PG College, Dehradun in the year 2020. Thereafter, I did a diploma course in information technology i.e. (DIT) from Lal Bahadur Shastri Training Institute, Dehradun. I joined the Wildlife Institute of India in the NMCG project, as an intern in the Component-2 (Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders) in July 2021. Currently, I am working as a Project Assistant in the WII-NMCG Project ‘Planning and management for aquatic species conservation and maintenance of ecosystem services in the Ganga River basin for Clean Ganga’.

     
     
 Training Team- Danish Kaleem  

Mohd Danish Kaleem (Project Assistant)

E-mail:-danish[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in, danishkaleem6[at]gmail[dot]com

I completed my Graduation from Integral University, Lucknow in the year 2020 where I studied Environmental Science (Hons). I did my Masters from Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow from the School of Earth and Environmental Science with specialization in Environmental Science. There after I completed a project entitled ‘A Novel Approach for the production of thermocol like product from Rice Stubble (Parali), which was funded by SIIC (Startup Incubation and Innovation Cell) IIT, Kanpur. I have also worked as an Intern at Water Aid India, Lucknow. I joined Wildlife Institute of India as a Project Assistant in the WII-NMCG project under the Component-2 (Capacity Building of Forest Departments and other Stakeholders) on 7th November, 2022.