AT A GLANCE
Gururaja K V, PhD
Area of Practice:
- Bioacoustics of Anurans in the Western Ghats and Urban Landscapes
- Ecoacoustics in varied land uses
- Behavioural ecology of ancient frog families in the Western Ghats
- Citizen Science initiatives in amphibian conservation
OVERVIEW
Frogs, toads, and their life fascinates me. My research spans over twenty-five years in the fields of amphibian ecology, behaviour, bioacoustics, systematics, species distribution modelling and landscape ecology. I am Dr TMA Pai Endowment Chair in Anurans, Acoustics and Anthropogenic Climate Change (Lab). I have described three novel breeding behaviours in frogs, twenty-three new species of frogs from the Western Ghats of India, and two new fish species. Complexity theories and citizen science also interest me. In 2023, I co-authored a paper in Nature on “Ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats”. In 2016, I received the State Biodiversity Award for Excellence from the Govt. of Karnataka State, India; in 2014, the Geospatial Excellence Award for the Frog Find Android App; and in 2022, the Prajavani Achievers Award. I am the recipient of the Scientific High Level Visiting Fellowship (SSHN) from the French Institute in India (IFI) and the Embassy of France in 2024.
EDUCATION
- PhD in Effect of Habitat Fragmentation on Distribution and Ecology of Anurans in Some Parts of Central Western Ghats (2003)
- MSc in Environmental Science (1999)
- BSc in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry (1997)
- Diploma in Bioacoustics (2023)
WORK EXPERIENCE
2023 – Present: Dr TMA Pai Endowment Chair in Anurans, Acoustics and Anthropogenic Climate Change Lab, SMIADT
2016 – Present: Faculty and Researcher, SMIADT
2021 – 2023: Academic Dean for the Undergraduate Professional Programme, SMIADT
2021 – 2023: Programme Dean, Master programme in Environment and Society, SMIADT
2015 – 2016: Chief Scientist, Gubbi Labs LLP (At present, an Adjunct Fellow)
2009 – 2014: Research Scientist, Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
2003 – 2009: Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), IISc
1999 – 2002: DST Junior and Senior Research Fellow, Kuvempu University.
INTEREST AREAS
- Acoustics – bioacoustics and ecoacoustics
- Amphibian Behaviour, Ecology and Systematics
- Biostatistics
- Citizen Science
- Complexity Theory
- Natural history observations
- Research Methods and Methodology
CURRENT PRACTICE AT SRISHTI
1. Data visualization – use of acoustic data
2. Ecoacoustics and Climate Change
3. Engage in Citizen science
TEACHING PORTFOLIO
1. Engage in Research
2. Soundscape Ecology in the Changing World
3. How to build a research proposal
CREATIVE PRACTICE & OUTREACH
Research in Bioacoustics; Use of Generative AI in acoustic data analysis; Amphibian Conservation.
