Core Team
Director
Dr. Jayashree Ratnam currently serves as Director of the Wildlife Biology and Conservation Program at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. She was Associate Director from 2014 to 2020. Following a PhD from Syracuse University, USA, she worked as a research scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Labs at Colorado State University, USA, and as a Facilitator for the Earth and Biosphere Institute, University of Leeds. She is a community and ecosystems ecologist with interests in tropical terrestrial systems. Her current research focuses on the biophysical and anthropogenic drivers of tropical savanna and rangeland structure and function, forest-savanna transition zones, and long-term tree dynamics in tropical forest communities. She is also interested in curriculum and program development at the graduate level. She teaches Basic Ecology, Plant Animal Interactions, and a seminar-style readings course in Classical Papers in Ecology and Conservation Biology.
Academic Fellow
Dr. Vivek Ramachandran serves as program faculty for the Wildlife Biology and Conservation Program at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). He holds a PhD in Conservation Sciences, followed by postdoctoral research at NCBS. Prior to his current role, Vivek served as the scientist-in-charge and curator for the NCBS Research Collections and Museum. He has worked in several research and conservation organizations, including SACON, CWS, and ATREE. His primary research focuses on the ecology and spatial distribution of lesser-known taxa—with an emphasis on small mammals and birds—alongside broader endangered species conservation. At NCBS, he teaches Vertebrate Ecology and directs the program’s field research components.
Former Director
Dr. Ajith Kumar (1952-2025) was Director of the Wildlife Biology and Conservation Program from its inception till 2020. He had a PhD from Cambridge University on the ecology of the Lion-tailed Macaque, and was a faculty at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore. His research interests included the ecology of primates and small mammals in the Western Ghats and Himalaya. He mentored several students of the MSc course on research topics ranging from primate food choice to the effects of human disturbance on small carnivores.