Ratna Ghosal
Assistant Professor
PhD (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore)
+91.79.61911502
Research Interests: Ecology, Animal Behavior, Conservation Biology.
Dr Ratna Ghosal joined the Biological and Life Sciences division of Ahmedabad University as an Assistant Professor in January 2018. She did her MSc in Zoology from Kolkata University and a PhD in Ecology from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. For her PhD, she studied the endocrine correlates of estrous behaviour in Asian elephants. She had developed a non-invasive technique based on faecal progesterone metabolite patterns to assess the estrous cycle of the female elephants. Following her PhD, Dr Ghosal received a grant from the Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation, London, UK to study the “musth” behaviour of the male Asian elephants (Ghosal et al. Plos one 2013).
In 2012, Dr Ghosal moved to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities to conduct research on the invasive fish in the North American ecosystem. She was also a member of the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, where she studied endocrine mechanisms of pheromone release and its olfactory recognition in invasive carps (Ghosal et al. Gen. Comp. Endo. 2016). She developed an integrated approach based on environmental DNA and sex pheromone measurements to detect invasive fish in open water systems (Ghosal et al. Ecol. Evol. 2018).
At Ahmedabad University, Dr Ghosal intends to study the proximate/physiological mechanisms of animal behaviour, and how such understanding can be implemented in the field of conservation biology. She plans to work on a range of model species including terrestrial and fresh water organisms in both laboratory and field conditions. Her laboratory uses a wide range of molecular, physiological, ecological and behavioural tools to address research questions.
Please visit the lab website for details on the ongoing projects
Research Interests:
I have worked on a wide range of vertebrates, including wild dogs, spotted deer, elephants, and the freshwater fishes. Over the years, I have worked on a few broad themes:
Selected Publications:
August-November 2018: Animal Behavior Course (CE303) offered to integrated Masters students
January-April 2019: Environmental Science Course offered to PhD and integrated Masters students
I am in the process of setting up my lab at the Ahmedabad University. If your research interests broadly matches with mine, please write to me. Currently, I am accepting applications from
PhD candidates: Do you like watching animals? Are you curious about your natural surroundings? If you are, and if you are motivated to do a PhD, do write to me. Please consult DBLS website for PhD application procedures.
Postdoctoral Fellows: If you are interested in the projects in the lab or would like to collaborate on a project, do write to me. I can help in finding an extramural funding (national/international) to support your proposal.