My trail
Mechanical engineering to Macroevolution
S.P. Vijayakumar PhD
Educational background: Under-graduation B.E. Mechanical Engineering - Tamil Nadu College of Engineering (TCE), Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu Uplands, Peninsular India. Post-graduation M.S. Ecology - Salim Ali School of Ecology (SASOE), Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, Cholamandalam (Coromandel coast), Peninsular India. Doctoral (2014) Evolutionary Biogeography - Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Mysore Plateau, Peninsular India. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Research Positions: Year 1999 - 2000 Researcher - Wildlife Institute of India (WII) - Dehra Dun, Shiwalik Range, Himalayas 1. Herpetofaunal communities in a dry forest mosaic (Vijayakumar et al. 2006) -Agasthyamalai 2. Identifying wet evergreen forest fragments (A short survey) - Southern Western Ghats 3. Herpetofaunal diversity in a high altitude cold desert (Vijayakumar and BC Choudhury) - Trans_Himalaya Year 2002 - 2003 Research Associate - Andaman and Nicobar Islands Environmental Team (ANET) - Wandoor, South Andaman, Andaman archipelago Patterns of distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the Nicobar archipelago (Vijayakumar et al. 2006, Das and Vijayakumar 2009) Year 2005 - 2006 Research Fellow - Wildlife Institute of India - Dehra Dun, Shiwalik Range, Himalayas Post-tsunami assessment of herpetofaunal diversity in the Nicobar islands (with BC Choudhury) Year 2006 - 2013 Graduate student - Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), IISc - Bangalore, Mysore Plateau, Peninsular India Year 2009 - 2014 Project coordinator - Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), IISc - Bangalore, Mysore Plateau, Peninsular India Addressing the Wallacean shortfall for small vertebrates across space and time in the Western Ghats (Vijayakumar and Shanker 2014a, b) Year 2014 - 2015 Post-Doctoral Fellow - National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) - Bangalore, Mysore Plateau, Peninsular India Year 2016-2017 Research Associate - CES, Indian Institute of Science - Mysore Plateau, Peninsular India Museum infrastructure: coordination Year 2017- 2018 Research Associate - Oklahoma State University (OSU) - Stillwater, Great Plains, Nearctic Year 2018 - 2019 Post Doctoral Scientist - George Washington University (GWU), Washington, DC, East coast, Nearctic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fellowships: 1. Junior field biologist - Wildlife institute of India 2. Research Associate - Andaman and Nicobar Island Environmental Team 3. Junior Research fellow - Wildlife Institute of India 4. Graduate student - Indian Institute of Science 5. Bridge fellow - National Centre for Biological Sciences (2014 - 2015) 6. DBT - Research Associate - Indian Institute of Science (2016) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Grants: 1. Rufford - Small Grant Patterns of distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the Nicobar archipelago 2. CSIR - Research Grant (PhD research) - Alternative models of diversification in the Western Ghats bush frogs 3. Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) - Western Ghats - Large Grant (Western Ghats) - Addressing the Wallacean Shortfall for small vertebrates in the Western Ghats ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Expeditions and exposure to geography: 1. Nicobar archipelago (15 islands and islets) - Car Nicobar Is., Teressa Is., Chowra Is, Bompoka Is, Tillanchong Is, Nancowry Is, Trinket Is, Camorta Is, Katchall Is, Little Nicobar Is, Great Nicobar Is, Pigeon Is, Kondul Is, Menchal Is, Pulo Mio Is. 2. Western Ghats Escarpment (15 massifs and hills) - Agasthyamalai, Megamalai/Vellimalai, Anaimalai, Nelliampathy, Cardamom Plateau, Periyar Plateau, Nelliampathy, Elivalmala, Nilgiri, Vellarimala, Kurichiarmala, Brahmagiri, Tadiyendamol complex, Kudremukh, Baba Budan, Coorg Plateau, Wayanad Plateau, Chikkamagaluru Plateau, Deccan traps (Amboli Plateau to Mahabaleshwar hill). 3. Western Himalaya (Ladakh Cold Desert landscapes: Changthang, Nubra, Leh, Zanskar, Suru) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beyond research: Cartography, Design, Photography, Web-content for research outreach (http://conferencecatalogue.wordpress.com/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Current address: Peninsular India ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contact: vijay_rhaco at yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |