Having spent most of my childhood in the coastal state of Goa, I have always had a certain fascination for the sea, and the marine environment in general. 

To further my interests, I proceeded to complete a Bachelor’s in Zoology from St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai, followed by a master’s through the ISATEC (International Studies in Tropical Aquatic Ecology) program, conducted by the University Of Bremen, and the Centre of Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Bremen, Germany.

My previous work experience extends to a study based on the Movement Ecology of the harvested mangrove crab Ucides cordatus cordatus in the Caeté estuary, North Brazil and a project based on the analysis of Cetacean populations along the coast of Goa, India.

My doctoral thesis explores the relationship between fishers and the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) at Chilika lagoon, Orissa, India. On the one hand this work explores the unique cooperative fishing that mutually benefits fishers and the dolphins. On the other, my thesis explores the cultural and economic underpinnings of the growing dolphin-centric ecotourism that is increasingly being seen as an alternative to fishing in these marginal communities.