Project Fellows
Senior Project Fellows
Ms. Irina Das Sarkar
Contact me: irina[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in
I grew up in a semi-rural neighbourhood, climbing trees and skipping rocks, with my eyes fixated on the little creatures that ran on the ground. The fascination towards arthropods has only grown since then. I have a formal academic background in Ecology from Pondicherry University, and an obsessive love for spiders and natural patterns. I’ve been associated with the Wildlife Institute of India since 2018, assessing new-world spider diversities across Western, Eastern, and Trans Himalayan gradients. My doctoral research focuses on altitudinal variations in assemblage and trait patterns of spiders, with an aim to assess climate-mediated shifts in distributional and morphological traits of nature’s super-predators. My work in the trans-Himalayas (Spiti, HP) has also been a recipient of the Arachnological Research Fund (AAS, 2021).
NMSHE-Phase II presents an excellent opportunity to explore trait-based approaches to explain ecological drivers of variabilities in Himalayan arthropod communities. The integration of taxonomic and functional diversities will aid a comprehensive assessment of such variations across the Western-Eastern gradient, holistically furthering our understanding of climate consequences on lesser-known, albeit ecologically crucial taxa.
Ms. Shagun Thakur
Contact me: shagun[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in
My name is Shagun Thakur and I was born in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. After finishing off school from DAV Hamirpur, I went to Chandigarh, for my graduation as well as post-graduation. The DAV tag didn’t leave me and I ended up doing my Bachelors in science from MCM DAV college and Masters in Zoology from DAVC 10, Chandigarh. In 2015 I joined the NMSHE project at the Wildlife Institute of India and since then I have been working in this Institute continually learning and evolving. As I have always been intrigued by the mammals of Himalayan ecosystem I started off working on the same in NMSHE. Now, I have got the opportunity to work in phase II of NMSHE and I am really looking forward to put in the similar enthusiasm and all the learnings of past 7 years to further explore the anthropogenic influences and effect of Climate change on the fauna of the Indian Himalayan Region.
In the second phase of this project, I wish to delve into the concepts of co-existence between human-wildlife and other factors governing it, primarily the changing climate. I am also interested to experiment with advanced field methodologies and eventually contributing to develop better strategies for wildlife management.
Junior Project Fellows
Ms. Deepali Bansal
Contact me: deepali@wii.gov[dot]in
I have completed my Masters in Environment Management from GGS Indraprastha University, Delhi. During my Master’s dissertation at the Wildlife Institute of India, I have worked on the aspect of Soil respiration under experimental warming, focusing on the factors affecting the daytime and night-time carbon dioxide efflux in semi-natural grassland. I was involved in establishing long-term monitoring plots and developing the procedures and methodology of the project. After that, under the Third NATCOM Project, I got an opportunity to understand the ecology and functioning of the soil microfauna contributing to soil respiration.
Sometimes the most minor step in the right direction ends up being the most significant step of your life. So was the case with me. After joining the Wildlife Institute of India, I got endless opportunities to learn and sharpen my technical and analytical knowledge about various aspects of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Currently, I am working as Junior Project Fellow under the NMSHE Phase II Project, assessing the impacts of climate change on respiration rates in the Indian Himalayan Region.
Apart from my professional history, I am a person of varied interests and love to explore the treasure of nature. I like spending time in nature and capturing beautiful moments with my camera. Also, I got a great interest in content writing and bird watching.
Mr. Krishnendu Banerjee
Contact me: krishnendu[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in
Since childhood, I am an outdoor person with great inquisitiveness to find “Why” and “How” things are happening in nature. My love for wildlife and wilderness had turned into a happy addiction from the moment I started following Nat Geo and Animal Planet documentaries. Although, the real start of my passion for wildlife biologist has started after joining the Wildlife Institute of India after completing my Master’s from Pondicherry University in Ecology and Environmental science in 2019. I am broadly interested in working on ecological and behavioural aspects by using herpetofauna as a model organism. In my previous projects in WII, I have learned to carry out extensive species-specific systematic surveys, monitor turtle populations and use radio-telemetric tools to understand frog movements.
Under the NMSHE-II project, I envisage learning new techniques dealing with climate change modelling to better understand the drivers and patterns of range shift and the effect of climate change scenarios on certain herpetofaunal species residing in the lap of Himalayas.
Apart from science and research, I do indulge myself in travelling, trekking, cooking, and playing cricket, spending time with friends and families as my happy hours!
Ms. Lakshita Bhati
Contact me: lakshita[at]wii[dot]gov[dot]in
I have done my graduation in Life Sciences from the University of Delhi, in 2019. I did my Master’s in Biodiversity and Conservation from GGSIP University, Delhi, 2021. During my master’s, I developed a keen interest in avian ecology. I got an opportunity to study birds in a landscape popularly known as ‘Birder’s Paradise’- The Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, where I dealt with the assessments of avian diversity and land-cover changes in the park. This experience widened my perspectives toward birds as well as about wildlife, management, and the contribution of modern tools and techniques (to be used for effective wildlife conservation and management). My regular visits to wetlands and national parks of lower elevations for birding intrigued me towards the existence of birds in higher elevations. To answer my interest, I joined the Wildlife Institute of India in 2022. I am appointed as a Project Fellow in NMSHE Phase II and will be studying the dispersion, climate change impact, and adaptations by birds of the Indian Himalayan Region.
Last Updated: October 19, 2023