Bilal Habib, Ph.D
Scientist - F & Nodal Officer
Phone : +91 135-2646283
Mobile No: 09410992233
E-mail: bh [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in

I am a conservation biologist interested in the integration of quantitative and interdisciplinary approaches to conservation challenges. With the interest in nature conservation, human-wildlife interactions, larger carnivore conservation, and other megafauna in human-dominated landscapes. I have been involved in field research since 2001. My doctoral research was on the ecology of the Indian wolf in the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, Maharashtra, India. Before joining the Wildlife Institute of India, I worked as Wildlife Survey Program Manager for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Afghanistan Biodiversity Project and was involved in the design and coordination of wildlife surveys in the Wakhan Corridor (Pamirs), capacity building in the environment sector and development of the Red List. My research species and system range from Wolves in semi-arid and trans-Himalayan landscapes, Leopards from the Himalayas to Central India, Dholes from low density to high-density areas,  Marco polo sheep and Snow Leopard in the Afghan Pamirs to understanding movement of large carnivores in a human-dominated landscape in response to Anthropocene.  My research interest includes integrating science-based solutions to developmental activities especially linear infrastructure.

Vishnupriya Kolipakam, Ph.D.
Scientist-D & Associate Nodal Officer
Email: vishnupriya [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in

I am a population geneticist with a strong interest in Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Anthropology and Conservation Genetics. For my PhD from Max Planck Institute (Nijmegen), I looked at incorporating information on genes, language and culture in a consilient framework towards a holistic approach to understanding pre-history. I used population genetic modelling, coalescent simulations, forward simulation techniques and phylogenetics to understand the pre-history of Polynesian and Dravidian Societies.

My research interests are largely interdisciplinary, working at the interface of evolutionary biology, anthropology and conservation biology. I worked on the mitochondrial DNA stratigraphy of Islands of Southeast Asia  (University of Leeds, United Kingdom), population genetics of northeastern hill tribes, and molecular ecology of large carnivores(National Centre for Biological Sciences , Bangalore), and the anthropological and evolutionary nature of perceptions of human wildlife conflict in semi-arid areas of India, (Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science). I have been associated with the “Monitoring Tigers, Co-Predators, Prey and their Habitat” project here at the Wildlife Institute. My role was to lead the genetic component of the project, wherein we used molecular techniques to understand the genetic diversity of large carnivores across the country. I continue to contribute to this aspect of the project. I am currently associated with projects investigating the population genetic structure of large carnivores, characterization of genetic diversity of Asiatic lions, and population genetic characteristics and phylogeography of the Gangetic river dolphin.

My interest lies in exploring the evolutionary trajectories of biological systems, adaptive functions and their consequences, and the use of this information in making scientifically sound conservation interventions.