The natural world has always been a great source of fascination and joy for me, leading me to study zoology and botany for my bachelor’s degree. During this time, I volunteered to work with projects on diverse marine fauna such as sharks and rays, sea turtles and humpback dolphins. While I have always been drawn to the marine realm, these experiences cemented my research interests. For my master's thesis, I was able to delve into coral reefs in the Lakshadweep, and how the reef fish community in particular, has been shaped by human use of the system. With NCF's team, I hope to expand on our lines of inquiry to map out the history of resource use on the islands in greater detail and understand the consequences of anthropogenic alteration on ecosystem function.