I am a farmer turned biologist. My research revolves around plants and people. As a TN Khoshoo postdoctoral fellow at ATREE, I am working on plant ecology and evolution, landscape ecology, and sustainable agriculture. During my PhD at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, I explored how historical biogeography influenced the evolution of herbaceous flora in south and southeast Asia, and discovered several new species of plants from the eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma region. Previously, I worked on community-based solutions for human-elephant conflicts in the Western Ghats and later on the behavior and conservation of owls in the central Indian landscape. I am also passionate about science outreach, especially in local languages.