I am fascinated by the complexity of the natural world around us. As a community ecologist, my research stems from a curiosity to understand the mechanisms that maintain diversity in ecosystems. In any ecological community of similar species, what processes allow species to coexist? What prevents one or few species from out-competing others? Also, living in a human-dominated planet, I want to understand how the mechanisms that maintain diversity change when subject to human influence. In a different life past, I was a medical doctor, but I left the hospital halls to walk the forest trails. My transition to ecology began with the realization that biodiversity was being lost at alarming rates. I went from activist to scientist because I felt that knowledge was essential to action, but I was also increasingly driven by sheer intellectual curiosity of nature’s workings. I have a Master’s degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and a PhD from Yale University’s School of the Environment. I was a Campus Fellow at NCBS and then Project Scientist at the CSIR Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) where I am currently a Senior Scientist. I enjoy writing and communicating science and believe that it is important for scientists to engage with the wider society. Off work, I like to run, practice yoga and try out new fitness regimens. Good books, great conversations, and gastronomy rank high in my life agenda and someday I would like to farm (at least some of) my own food.