Bio: Simran Prasad has an MSc in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation from Imperial College London, UK, and a Bachelor with Honors in Zoology with Marine Zoology from Bangor University, Wales. Simran has experience working on various research topics, namely, understanding factors influencing pangolin presence in Thailand and magnetoreception in homing birds in the UK.
Work interests: Her research interests are multifaceted and encompass human–wildlife interactions, social sciences, socio-ecological field methods and conservation economics. Simran is currently researching patterns and drivers of human and elephant injuries and deaths at the interface of human–elephant interactions in select regions of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve of the Western Ghats, south India. Through her work, she aims to identify what specific factors contribute to rising casualties and mortalities of both protagonists in conflict situations and how this could be mitigated through strategic, site-specific and participatory interventions. Simran is also a New York Academy of Science’s Mentor for the 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures Program and a Fellow at the Center for Collaborative Conservation (CCC) at Colorado State University.
Current research: Simran’s research focuses on Ascertaining the socio-economic and ecological drivers of human and elephant (Elephas maximus) casualty and mortality patterns in South India. She is guided by Dr. Krithi K Karanth.
