உயர்நிலை வன உயிரினப் பாதுகாப்பு நிறுவனம்
(ஆராய்ச்சி, பயிற்சி மற்றும் கல்வி)Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation
(Research, Training and Education)(A govt. of Tamil Nadu institute)
Mr.A. Udhayan, I.F.S., has been the Director of the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Vandalur in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department since 14th June 2022. He belongs to 1991 batch of Indian Forest Service of Tamilnadu. He holds a M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences from Jawarharlal University, New Delhi, and Post Graduate diploma in wildlife Management from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. He has several years of experience in the field of wildlife and biodiversity conservation, having worked in various positions in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. He had also served as Principal of the Eastern Forest Rangers College in Kurseong on deputation. As Deputy Director of the Forest Survey of India, as a Scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, and a Specialist at the SAARC Forestry Centre in Thimphu, Bhutan Most recently, he served as Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
Ms. Senbagapriya, IFS has been the Deputy Director (Administration) of AIWC (R, T & E), Vandalur in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department since 19th January 2024. She belongs to the 2013 batch of IFS of Tamil Nadu Cadre, She holds a Bachelors degree in Agriculture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and Post Graduation in Geography from Madras University, Chennai, She has eight years’ experience in the field of wildlife and biodiversity conservation, having worked in two territorial division and two wildlife division in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
Mr. D. Eswaran, SFS has been the Deputy Director (Technical) of AIWC (R, T & E), Vandalur in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department since 14h March 2024. He belongs to the SFS batch of 2017, he holds a Bachelors degree in Commerce and Post Graduation in Business Administration. He worked as Liasion Officer at Madras High Court for 15 years, and worked in Sriperumbudur, Gudalur and forest extension centre.
Dr.D.Vasanthakumari earned a B.V.Sc. & AH in 2005 and a Masters in Veterinary Extension Education from Madras Veterinary College, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in 2008. She has also worked as a Teaching Assistant at Hyderabad Veterinary College. In 2009, she joined the Department of Animal Husbandry as a Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, serving in rural veterinary dispensaries and the Animal Disease Intelligence Unit at Kanchipuram. Currently, she is working as a Forest Veterinary Assistant Surgeon at the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation in Vandalur and serves as the coordinator of Centre for Wildlife Forensic Sciences.
Completed B.V.Sc & A.H., in 2008 and M.V.Sc., in Veterinary Surgery and Radiology in 2023 from Madras Veterinary College, TANUVAS. Joined as Veterinary Assistant Surgeon in Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department in 2010 and actively involved in the implementation of various schemes. Also involved in the planning and execution of the prestigious project of the Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department titled “Establishment of Advanced Institute for Integrated Research on Livestock and Animal Sciences” at Thalaivasal, Salem District. Currently, she has been working as Forest Veterinary Assistant Surgeon in the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (Research, Training & Education), Vandalur since December 2023.
Dr. C. Bala Amarnath completed interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Pathology from University of Madras, Chennai under ICAR - Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He has a wide experience in the molecular diagnostic platform, Real-time PCR, Development of Monoclonal Antibodies, and RNAi technology. Currently, he is working as a Project Scientist in Centre for Wildlife Forensic Sciences, AIWC. His are area research focus includes PCR-RFLP assay as a platform for species identification, LAMP assay for detection of Anthrax and Tuberculosis infection in Elephants, Deer, and Gaur. He also focus on development of multiplex qPCR assay for detection viral disease in captive animals. Apart from this he is also part other in-house research projects. Earlier, he was the Scientific Officer in Orbito Asia Diagnostics, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He has qualified for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) – 2016 – Biotechnology; awarded the Department of Biotechnology (Govt. Of India) fellowship for pursuing the Advance Post Graduate Diploma in Molecular Diagnostics. Also, he has secured 60th Rank in the All India Biotechnology talent search by Biotech Helpline Foundation.
Dr. Kalaiyarasan obtained his PhD from DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh, J&K, India in the field of Nanobiotechnology. He was a Scientist at ICMR- Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh, Assam; Project Scientist (World Health Organization) at CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi and Project Scientist at Punjab Biotechnology Incubator, Punjab. Currently, he is working as a Scientist (TANII Project); his research focuses on the Identification of modified or altered or degraded meat derivatives of deer species to the species level using high though put DNA high-resolution melt. He has been awarded DRDO-Fellowship-2015, GATE-2013, CSIR-NET-2015 and Building Bharat-Boston Biosciences (B4) Young Scientist by South Asia Institute, Harvard University and Department of Biotechnology, India.
Dr. Muhsina Thunnisa A, obtained her Ph.D from the Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, Ooty (Tamil Nadu), affiliated to Bharathiar University- Coimbatore. She has been awarded Maulana Azard National Fellowship,UGC.She is expertise in insect taxonomy & molecular studies. She reported five new species and a genus (Bionychiurus) of insects (Group:collembola) from India. Currently she is working as a Scientist (APO Project) in AIWC. Her work mainly focuses on the development of Short Tandem-Repeats (STR) based genetic database of leopards for geographic assignment in wildlife forensics and determination of population genetic structure in Tamil Nadu.
Dr. T.T. Shameer holds a Ph.D. in Wildlife Biology from Government Arts College, Ooty, affiliated with Bharathiar University. He specializes in Landscape Ecology, Population Ecology, Community Ecology, Ecological Modeling, and Climate Change. He has worked with organizations such as the Wildlife Institute of India, UNDP, and various State Forest Departments, conducting research on carnivores from Tigers to Fishing Cats. Dr. T.T. Shameer is a prolific researcher with a notable publication record. He has authored 19 scientific articles published in various international peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, he has served as a reviewer for high-impact journals such as Scientific Reports and Global Ecology and Conservation, further contributing to the scientific community through peer review and evaluation of research work. He served as a Project Scientist at AIWC Under APO projects 2021-2022, focusing on Human-Wildlife Conflict and wetland identification. Currently, he works as a Project Scientist under TBGPCCR projects, his research focus on Wildlife Policy, Species Recovery, Migratory Species Ecology, and Capacity Building.
Dr. Paulraj holds a Ph.D. in Zoology obtained from Bharathidasan University, Trichy in 2001. He has completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Zoology from St Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. He was a Scientist at Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai, from 2003 to 2021 and Scientist at G.S. Gill Research Institute, Guru Nanak College, Chennai, from 2021 to 2022. Currently, he is working as a Project Scientist. His research interests include health monitoring of captive animals through blood and serum analysis, identification of forensically important insects found in dead animals and studying the haematophagous insects which transmit diseases to captive animals. Presently he is working as a Project Scientist in an APO project titled 'Evaluation of different trap models to monitor and control hematophagous insects which transmit diseases to captive animals in Zoological parks'.
Have completed Master's and Doctorate in Veterinary Anatomy from Madras Veterinary College, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Dr. Kumar joined as Project Scientist at AIWC from August 2023. As a researcher he has worked with various animal models and has worked in coordination with medical doctors and researchers of IIT Madras in Animal trials and pre-clinical studies. Also has experience in teaching Veterinary Anatomy for Veterinary students and Animal husbandry for Agriculture students
She completed her Post Graduation in Environmental Sciences from PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. She has joined as Junior Research Fellow at the Morphometry lab of the Centre for Wildlife Forensic Sciences, Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation since 2022.She has previously worked as a Programme Fellow at Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, for the “National Ornithological Databank Cell”. She also served as a Junior Biologist in Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History in the project entitled “Developing Management & Conservation Plan for Select IBAs of the Country” (Sikkim & Tamil Nadu).She have also worked as a Junior Research Fellow at Madras University in collaboration with Chennai international Airport for the project “Ecological Study of Bird Hazard at Chennai International Airport”. Her core research interests are in understanding the ecology of birds along various habitats, population ecology, conservation and behavioral ecology, bird migration, meso-carnivores and illegal wildlife trade. She is a keen bird watcher and a passionate wildlife artist.
Ms. Uma Maheswari Radhakrishnan completed her B.Sc. in Biotechnology from JJ College of Arts and Science, followed by a M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Alagappa University. She began her career as a laboratory assistant at Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation, where she developed her foundational understanding of molecular biology. She later served as a project assistant for the project entitled “Development of STR-Based Genetic Database for Leopards across Tamil Nadu.” This project aimed to create a comprehensive genetic database to support conservation efforts and enhance our understanding of leopard populations in the study region. She is working as a Junior Research Fellow at the DNA Laboratory of the Centre for Wildlife Forensic Sciences at AIWC, since 2023. Her work focuses on utilizing advanced forensic science techniques to aid in wildlife conservation and protection.
Ms. M. Prema completed her B.Sc. in Zoology from V.V. Vanniaperumal College for Women, Virudhunagar. She has been working as a laboratory assistant at the Morphometry Laboratory of the Centre for Wildlife Forensic Sciences, Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation, Vandalur, since 2021.
Mr. Sasipriyan.P. holds a Bachelor's in Environmental Management from Jawahar Science College, Neyveli, and a Master's in Environmental Sciences from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. He has interned at the Centre for Environmental Education, WWF India, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History. His research focuses on environmental sustainability, with proficiency in plastic pollution and biodiversity conservation. He has worked as an environmental consultant at the Center for Sustainable Development, Cuddalore, and as a Project Fellow at Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli. He also actively volunteering at Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB),Currently, he is a Junior Research Fellow at the Center for Conservation Education under the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
Ms. Antony Jenitha pursued her M.Tech in Biopharmaceutical technology and B.Tech in Pharmaceutical Technology from the ACT campus of Anna University, Chennai. She has been awarded GATE fellowship 2018 and cleared GATE-2024 as well. She has been working as Junior Research Fellow in the APO-STR project, in the Centre for Wildlife forensic sciences, Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation, since 2022. Previously she was a JRF in ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, where she worked in "RFLP based identification of SNPs that confer drug adverse effect called HIV associated Lipodystrophy in patients under treatment". She is passionate about the research in biology which contributes to the welfare of the society and her field of interest is Molecular biology and host genetics.
Completed B.Sc. in Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology from Guru Nanak College, Chennai, and M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Madras, Chennai. With a proclivity for animals and wildlife, he worked as a trainee at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), Chennai. Following this, he joined as a Project Assistant at AIWC under the project 'Haematological and Biochemical Assessment of Health in Camp Elephants at Anamalai and Mudumalai Elephant Camps.' Currently, he is working as a Junior Research Fellow in the project ‘Application of Infrared Thermography as a diagnostic tool in Captive and Wild Elephants’ at the Centre for Animal Care Sciences in the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation.
Rithvik Sri Datta Nirmal M is a researcher currently making significant contributions to the field of wildlife conservation and biotechnology. With a strong academic background and hands-on research experience in biotechnology, wildlife forensics and molecular biology. Having completed his Bachelor's in biotechnology from Achariya arts and Science College, Pondicherry and Master's degrees in Biotechnology from Pondicherry University. His master's dissertation focused on isolating and characterizing potential probiotic bacteria from mare milk, providing valuable insights into microbial diversity and applications in biotechnology. Rithvik's research journey as junior research fellow taken him across various domains, from validating the role of polyhydroxy butyrate bio-emulsifiers in controlling vibriosis in shrimp aquaculture. In 2022 he joined AIWC as a project, worked in developing a molecular technique for the “Identification of species, sex and geographical origin of seized wildlife articles and to develop an in-house genome repository database” at the Centre for Wildlife Forensics, Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation. Currently pursuing as a junior research fellow for the “Development of species identification tool through Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) of conserved sequence.
M.sc zoology From A.V.C College (Autonomous) Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai. B.Sc Zoology From A.V.C College (Autonomous) Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai.
Ms. Madhumita Rajkumar completed her postgraduate degree in Animal Biotechnology from Bharathidasan University. Previously, she worked at the Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) on a project entitled “Assessment of Status, Distribution, and Threats of Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) in Uttar Pradesh,” and then for a brief period with the Meghalaya State Forest Department as a field biologist. Currently, at AIWC, she is involved in developing primers for the project “Development of DNA Mini-barcode for Identification of Molluscs (Seashell) – A Forensic Identification Tool for Protected Marine Molluscs” as a Senior Research Fellow. Regarding her academic credentials, she has published two research papers, presented her work at two international conferences, and authored one book chapter. She also holds a University Rank Gold Medal in her post-graduation and has cleared GATE 2023.
Ms. Shinta Ann Jose holds a Master'sdegree in Biotechnology from Shri Nehru Maha Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. She has worked as Project Assistant II in a DRDO-funded project on the ecotoxicological studies of nanomaterials in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems during her tenure at the VIT, Vellore. Later, she joined as a Junior Research Fellow at the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Vandalur, Chennai, in a project on the Development of spectral databases in wildlife articles using FTIR. Currently, her research at AIWC as Project Associate II focuses on the development of multiplex qPCR assay for the detection of viral disease in captive animals. She has authored 1 research article, 1 review article, and 1 book chapter.
Completed B.Sc in Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology from R.K.M. Vivekananda College,Chennai and M.Sc in Zoology from Loyola College, Chennai. He worked as YoungProfessional- II in two different projects in Aquatic Animal Health and Environment Departmentof ICAR- Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai. Currently he is working asJunior Research Fellow in the Centre for Animal Care Sciences in the Advanced Institute forWildlife Conservation, Chennai.
He has completed B.Sc. in botany from Gurunanak College, Chennai and a M.Sc. in botany from Madras Christian College, Chennai .He is working as Project Coordinator for the "Tamil Nadu Innovation Initiatives (TANII) project entitled "Establishment of Innovation cum Incubation Centres for Biodiversity Conservation in Schools and Colleges across Tamil Nadu." at AIWC. He have experience as researcher in two funded projects at the Wildlife Institute of India; the first involved Python telemetry research in the Moyar Valley, Tamil Nadu (2017-2020), and the second focused on studying the Mangrove vegetation dynamics in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (2020-2023).He is also pursuing his Ph.D. on the Mangrove ecosystem on the subsided sites of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (since 2020) to understand the successional patterns of mangrove vegetation following the 2004 tsunami and anthropogenic pressure in the Islands (2020-2023). He has authored 18 research publications in peer-reviewed journals.
She completed her B.Sc.in Biotechnology from Vels University, Chennai, and M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the University of Madras, Chennai. Currently she works as a Laboratory Assistant at the Centre for Animal Care Sciences, AIWC. She specializes in histopathology technique and analysis of blood and serum samples of animals. she has authored 1 review article titled; .Copper Nanoclusters as novel podium for cancer detection, imaging and therapy applications.
Mr. Sakthinarenderan has completed Master’s in Zoology from the New College, Chennai and Batchelor’s in Advanced Zoology and biotechnology at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekanandha College, Chennai. He has joined as Junior Research Fellow in the DNA LAB of Centre for Forensic Wildlife Sciences at Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation, Vandalur. Previously, he has worked on a Ministry of Earth Science, Government of India, funded project entitled-“ Characterization and DNA barcoding of polychaetes from the South East Coast, India.” at Sathyabama Insitute of Science and Technology, Chennai from 2019-2023. He is pursuing his Ph.D. in life Science at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, focusing on to study the toxicity of microplastics in aquatic organisms. His research interests include biodiversity monitoring, environmental impact assessment, Polychaete taxonomy, and marine ecotoxicology (particularly Microplastics). He has authored 2 high-impact research articles in peer-reviewed international journals, 1 review article, and 6 book chapters.
Ms. Malavika S Nair, Masters degree in Ecology with specialisation in Ecological Informatics from Kerala University of Digital Sciences Innovation and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram. She worked as trainee at Space Application Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad and completed dissertation at National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO, Hyderabad. Her research at AIWC as Project Associate is on Vulture Conservation specifically on project titled Study on Mortality of Terminalia Arjuna trees in Riverine areas in the Forest especially Moyar River and Impacts of Soil Water Conservation Structures along / across the rivers. She has authored a book chapter entitled “From Detection to Management: Insights and Applications from Satellite Remote Sensing of Forest Fires. Exploring Emerging Techniques in Plant Sciences”.
Ragavendran has completed a Bachelor's and Master of Science in Zoology from St. Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai. He has joined as a project associate at Xavier Research Foundation. The project core concept is promote organic farming and environmental protection in each and every village in Tirunelveli district. He has published seven research articles in highly reputed journals and one book publication. He has research experience at two funding agencies: the Jesuitenweltweit Funding Agency and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Currently, he joined as a project associate in AIWC with project entitled “Fireflies in ecology, species diversity, distribution and habitats in Anamalai tiger reserve”.
Ms. Yuvasri kasinathan completed her Master's in Biotechnology from University of Madras, Guindy, and her Bachelor's in Biotechnology from Vels University, Chennal. Currently, she is working as a Project Associate II in an APO project titled "Evaluation of different trap models to monitor and control Hematophagous insects which transmit disease to captive animals in zoological parks"and also works on DNA- based molecular identification of wildlife forensic samples and the genetic analysis of Nilgiri Tahr.she has one and half years of experience as a laboratory assistant at the DNA and Scat-DNA Laboratory of the center for wildlife forensic sciences, Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation, Vandalur. Previously, she gained one and a half years of experience in the field of microbiology, particularly working with oil- degrading bacteria from marine sources and scrutinizing their Lipase activity. She is skilled in molecular techniques like PCR, RT-PCR, wildlife forensics, field sampling techniques for forensic purposes, laboratory management, isolation of microorganisms, and their characterization.
She has completed post graduation in Forestry (Silviculture and Agroforestry) from College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur. Currently, serves as the Project Coordinator under the TANII funded project "Establishment of Innovation cum Incubation Centres for Biodiversity Conservation in Schools and Colleges across Tamil Nadu", since Jan 2024. Served as Senior Project Fellow at the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Coimbatore under All India Coordinated Research Project on Tamarind during 2020 and 2023. Also worked as Assistant Professor Forestry at JKKM College of Agricultural Sciences at Erode. She is also pursuing PhD in Forest Genetics at IFGTB under FRI, Deemed to be University, Dehradun. She has core interests in Reproductive Biology of tropical trees, Plantation Forestry and Value Addition of Non-timber forest products.
Mr.Iyanar completed B.Sc Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology from Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai, Diploma in Apiculture from Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore and an M.Sc in Zoology (Wildlife Biology) from Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam. He interned at the NCBS in surveying Shola birds in Upper Nilgiris. He contributed to the projects focused on the Conservation of Pallikaranai Marshlands, Chennai as a member of The Nature Trust (NGO) (Since 2015). Currently he is a Project Associate in Vulture Conservation Project entitled "Mortality of Terminalia arjuna in riverine areas of forests especially in Moyar River and impacts of Soil Water Conservation structures along/across the river' at the Centre for Conservation Education in the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation.
