Ashish Jha, Ph.D.
Scientist C
Phone- +91-135-2646315 (O)
Email: ashishjha [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in

I am an Engineer turned Ornithologist. Post my UG (2012, NIT Raipur) and PG (2014, IIT Kharagpur) in Biotechnology, I pursued PhD (2020, CSIR-CCMB Hyderabad) in Ornithology. My doctoral research was on southern India endemic and globally threatened Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus). My thesis focused on biogeographic history, population connectivity, habitat suitability model and natural history of this species. Post-PhD I joined Kerala Agricultural University Thrissur and worked on the Kerala Bird Atlas, a state-wide citizen-science project. I analyzed 0.3 million records of 371 species and communicated the findings to various stake holders including citizens, policy makers, forest department and science fraternity. Upon completion of the Kerala Bird Atlas project, I joined IISER Mohali as a postdoctoral fellow to study avian community dynamics and feeding guild via stable-isotope analysis.

I joined Wildlife Institute of India as Scientist C in August 2023. I am interested in avian conservation using multi-pronged approach including genetics, long-term monitoring, field-based natural history studies and community outreach. I can be contacted at ashishjha [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Population genetics, Biogeography, Natural History, Citizen-science, In-situ and Ex-situ conservation, Community ecology, Avian behavior

SELECTED LIST OF PUBLICATIONS:

• Jha A, J Praveen, and Nameer P O. (2023) Is functional diversity of avian assemblages better suited than taxonomic diversity in capturing the effects of protection? Journal of Asian Ornithology 39:1–11.
• Jha A, J Praveen, and Nameer P O. (2022) Contrasting occupancy models with presence-only models: Does accounting for detection lead to better predictions? Ecological Modelling 472:110105.
• Praveen J, Nameer P O, Jha A, et al. (2022) Kerala Bird Atlas 2015-2020: features, outcomes and implications of a citizen-science Project. Current Science 122 (3): 298–309.
• Jha A, Prayag H S, Seneviratne S and Vasudevan K (2021) Phylogeny of South Asian Bulbuls identifies multiple colonization events and Miocene aridification as drivers of diversification. Organisms, Diversity & Evolution. 21(4): 783-794.
• Jha A (2021) Field observations of Yellow-throated Bulbul in Deccan Peninsula, India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 118: 187–191.
• Jha A and Vasudevan K (2020) Demographic history of the fragmented Yellow-throated bulbul population in the Deccan Peninsula, India. Endangered Species Research 43:199-207. 
• Jha A and Vasudevan K (2020) Environmental niche modeling of globally threatened Yellow-throated bulbul for conservation prospects in the Deccan Peninsula, India. Current Science 119 (11): 1815-1823.