Over the last two decades, I have studied the ecological and social aspects of the interactions between people and large wild animals, mostly in southern India. I have also worked with individuals and collectives at various scales to apply such knowledge to mobilise conservation action and on-ground change. I have also participated in the making and application policies to try to reconcile the needs of wildlife and of humans. Along the way, as a Founder Trustee of the Nature Conservation Foundation, I have also had the fantastic opportunity to help create, grow and manage NCF as a nonprofit that strives for knowledge-based and socially-responsible nature conservation across India.

Of late, I have become interested in the broad area of data science, but specifically, in the context of how ecologists and conservationists produce, manage, analyse and use various forms of data. Currently, I am working to leverage/build tools that help convert various kinds of ‘noisy’ information concealed in text, images and sound, into structured data, discernible patterns, and ultimately, into better ecological/conservation insight. While doing this, I am also keen to tell stories about our natural world that are crafted with rigour, and yet, are told in ways that are engaging and easy to grasp.