Dr. Chandrima Home – Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design & Technology

AT A GLANCE

Chandrima Home, PhD

Area of Practice:

OVERVIEW

I am an ecologist by training and my primary interests lie in understanding species ecology in the context of human induced global changes. My career till date has been an amalgamation of experiences in both field-based research and research administration. While my decade-long field research experience has provided a nuanced understanding of working with local communities and on-ground conservation challenges, the research administration space has provided hands-on experience of funding opportunities, challenges, and sustaining research in a changing world.

My Doctoral research explored human-animal conflict, examining the problems of increasing domestic dog populations and the series of impacts that it has on native wildlife and agro-pastoralist communities in the Trans-Himalayan landscape.

My experiences in both research and research administration allow me to blend multiple roles at SMI. As a facilitator I bring in the ecological lens in art and design students through my pedagogy. In an additional role as the Head of Research and Collaborations at SMI, I am involved in building up a research ecosystem in a creative art and design space and liaising with the larger MAHE community.

EDUCATION

2009-2018: PhD. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (Academy of Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies) and Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Thesis title: The ecological and social dimensions of human-dog-wildlife conflict in the Indian Trans-Himalaya.
2003-2005: MSc (Wildlife Science), Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.
2000-2003: BSc (Zoology), Presidency College, Kolkata (now Presidency University), India.

WORK EXPERIENCE

November 2022 – Present:
Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, MAHE
-Head of Research and Collaborations
-Teaching faculty at SMI

April 2021 – October 2022
Indian Institute of Science, Grants Manager, Office of Research Grants

July 2019 – March 2021
DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, Grants Adviser

December 2018 – June 2019
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Research Associate (honorary)

September 2018 – November 2018
ATREE and National Centre for Biological Sciences, Post-doctoral fellow (consultant) and Visiting fellow at National Centre for Biological Sciences in the Wellcome Trust- DBT India Alliance Project titled “Bringing ‘OneHealth’ to rabies research in India: integrating animal ecology, disease ecology, and human health”.

July 2009- July 2018
ATREE and Manipal Academy for Higher Education, Doctoral Candidate

May 2007- October 2008
National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), Research Trainee

July 2006 – September 2006
Wildlife Institute of India, Post graduate Intern.

December 2005- April 2006
Wildlife Institute of India, Junior Research Fellow

Along with these work experiences, I have also been a visiting faculty member at the University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (2018-2020) and a Consultant Editor at SAEVUS (Wildlife magazine)

INTEREST AREAS

Overall, my broader interests lie in understanding species ecology with respect to global changes with a special emphasis on human-animal interactions. I am also interested in the larger sphere of sustainability, our relationship with waste and how its movement affects the environment. In a space such as SMI, I am interested to bring in the intersections of ecology and creative thinking through my pedagogy.

CURRENT PRACTICE AT SRISHTI

At the core, my research (and teaching commitments) is driven by a keen interest in reconciling biodiversity conservation with human interests. SMI has been offering a unique academic space where I bring in the ecological lens to design pedagogy. Using my pedagogic space, I engage in bringing in innovative means of connecting with the community and building on the context of education by exploring the environment. I have been exploring visual thinking tools and game design to understand and explore human-nature relationships in my courses. Administratively, I also head the Research and Collaborations and liaise with the larger MAHE community in creating a research ecosystem at SMI. This include working on research policy and framework documents and facilitating research initiatives for the larger community.

TEACHING PORTFOLIO

Studios for BDes and MDes in Information Arts and Information Design (IAIDP)
Inculcate reading and writing through General Studies (Elective) and Term Paper modules in BDes
7^th Semester Project facilitator for Project titled ” The Disentangled Bank”

CREATIVE PRACTICE & OUTREACH

In my professional practice, I identify myself as a researcher. My decade long research experience brings this perspective within the enquiry-based space at SMI. My research experience has been varied, including both field-based and lab-based research and such a practice involves not just answering the larger enquiries posed, but also the methods and ethical considerations for the same.

In my professional space as a researcher, I have communicated my research across academic and non-academic platforms through journal publications, scientific collaborations, research presentations with an active engagement in writing popular science articles and blogs.

You can engage with my research and articles through these following links:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=D0kc5lAAAAAJ
https://researcher.manipal.edu/en/persons/chandrima-home

My professional engagement in a research administration space strengthened my skills in understanding funding space for research and the ethical considerations for the same. As an ecologist who believes in sustainable approaches in life at a personal level and inculcating hobbies, I bring in my creativity my making art from waste and artworks on paper.

Projects showcase:

PG students during Interlude playing a game to understand the concept of "Commons"

Newspaper analyses of human-animal interactions in my studio on Ethical Dilemmas, Engagement and Decision Making

Field Trip to Bannerghatta

Board game "Beeyond" designed by students as part of the studio.