Profile

EDUCATION

• School of Animal Sciences, University of Western Australia, Australia (2011); Postdoctoral Research (Spider Taxonomy and Phylogeny)
• Forest Research Institute University, Dehra Dun, India (2008); Ph. D. in Forestry (Forest Entomology)
• Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India (1997); Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.) in Natural Sciences.
• Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India (1993); Master of Science (M. Sc.) in Zoology.
• Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India (1991); Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Zoology.

Research Profile

Post-doctoral Programmes:
August 2010 – March 2011:Post-doctoral programme from the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia and Western Australian Museum, Perth, Australia.
Title: Which way across the Wallace line? Solving the evolutionary history of a super-abundant group of orb-weaving spiders from Asia and Australia.
Supervisor: Prof. Raphael K. Didham, School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Volker W. Framenau, Curator – Terrestrial Invertebrates, Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA  6986, Australia.

August 2008 – July 2010: Post-doctoral programme in the Division of Arachnology, Dept. of Zoology, Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Kochi funded by International Foundation for Science (IFS), Sweden
Title: Diversity and abundance of spiders in different habitat types of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in Southern Western Ghats of  Kerala, India

Doctoral Programme:
Ph. D. in Forestry (Forest Entomology) from Forest Research Institute University, Dehra Dun, India
Title: Systematics and Bionomics of Spiders in Agricultural and Forest Ecosystems of Central Kerala, India
Supervisor: Dr. S. Murugesan, Scientist – F, Institute of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore-641 002, Tamil Nadu.

Research interests:
Biodiversity in Western Ghats.
Taxonomy, Biology, Ecology, Diversity, Evolution & Conservation of Spiders.
Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation in Tropical Forests.

Membership in Scientific Bodies:
American Arachnological Society
Australasian Arachnological Society
Asian Society for Arachnology
Indian Society for Spices