Email ID: partha.mishra@manipal.edu

A. Roles played in the Centre: Principal Investigator

B. CRT’s Contribution Research Areas:

I. Focus:
Dr. Partha Sarathi’s current interest is understanding the complex interplay between humans and more-than-humans in a rapidly transitioning world, and how this affects behavioural ecology, health outcomes, and socio-economic challenges. His objective is to understand the dynamics of coexistence between humans and non-humans and what disturbs the He brings the same lenses to explore through the pedagogical approach, which involves critical thinking in the classroom, field work, along with artistic and design interventions. His work focuses on the community aspect of conservation, rooted in indigenous understanding of the human and more-than-human world, leaving behind the extractive views of conservation beyond the idea of romanticism and the pristineness of nature. Research is deeply ingrained in deep observation, data-driven framework leading to empathetic understanding of the world around us.

II. The Transition Framework of Focus Area for CRT:

1. Exploring how local contexts influence ecological issues, to inspire a shift in worldview that empowers students to become informed and responsible citizens towards humans and more-than-humans.
2. Using artistic, playful and storytelling approaches to educate, engage, and impact lives of humans and more-than-humans across ecosystems.
3. Linking traditional knowledge, practice, systems, and futures across the domains of ecology, policy and data.
4. Core to the exploration, pedagogy and research are modeled to evoke coexistence, empathy and togetherness through lived experiences and data-driven understandings.
5. A major aspect of the work involves the human-tech-ecology trifecta, where the challenges of new technologies and their impact on the living world.

III. Thrust areas:

1. Dynamics of Human and More-Than-Human relationships
2. Understanding and promoting coexistence between human and more than human species
3. Conservation, Misinformation and Interconnectedness
4. Community Collaborations
5. Climate change and Biodiversity Loss

Teaching–Research Integration

1. Supervised 7^th Semester Pre-Thesis Project for Undergraduates (15 Students) : Animals Through Space and Time: In this project, we looked at the animals and their influence on our dynamic lives. The idea was to appreciate the underappreciated, represent the underrepresented animals through arts and design approaches to acknowledge the connectedness. The idea behind the work was to shift the worldview of students and the audience about animals through ethical consideration.
2. Supervised 8^th Semester Thesis Project (17 students): HumanNature: This project dealt with creative outputs from students from different majors addressing negative interaction among the human and more-than-humans having a solution-based approach to foster coexistence through empathetic involvement. This dealt with minimising the misinformation about animals in media and transitioning the knowledge towards eco-justice
3. Studios and General Studies pedagogy focus on the creative transformation of existing narratives by embracing the diversity and complexities of human experiences in the current climate era through new storytelling mediums. This process involves a thorough understanding of qualitative and quantitative data, including its appropriate use and potential misuses. Engaging in these practices requires deconstructing current narratives, lifestyles, and economic systems, and incorporating new design dimensions that adapt to our rapidly changing world. These involve Foundation, UG, PG, and PGDP students.

Mentoring

• PhD Supervisor – 1 Students
  1. Abhilasha Fulzele: Behavioural Ecology of Grey Footed Langur in response to anthropogenic impact in Konkan, Maharashtra. Full-time PhD student.

• University Co-Guide
  1. Asad Gopi: PhD Supervisor: Dr. Bhargavi Chelmala, Zoo Outreach Organisation – Ecology of Fruit Bats in Hyderabad, Telangana
  2. Kirina Melo: PhD Supervisor: Dr. Sahil Nijhawan, Nature Conservation Foundation and University College London – Understanding the impacts of formal education on indigenous relations with wildlife in Arunachal Pradesh
  3. Evan Nazareth: PhD supervisor: Dr. Rohan Arthur – The habitat use and requirement of the Giant guitarfish, and their distribution in the Andaman Islands (based on Local Knowledge)

Public-Facing Engagements

1. Presently serving as the Vice-President of Student Affairs- International Primatological Society
2. Member of Association of Indian Primatologists
3. Primate Club and Related Festivals in Bangalore City (In progress)
4. Oral Presentation: “Facets of Conflict: Within-group and Human-Macaque Conflict in Nicobar long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis umbrosus)”, International Primatological Society Congress, Kuching, Malaysia, 2023.
5. Oral Presentation: “Coconut Conundrum: Understanding Farmers’ Views on Long-Tailed Macaques in Great Nicobar Island, India”, Asian Primate Symposium, Medan, Indonesia, 2024
6. Invited Talk at Kannur University, Kerala: Long-tailed macaques: Mystical or Menace- A Case Study from the Great Nicobar Island. August 2025