Jha A

About

I am an Engineer turned Ornithologist. Post my UG (2012, NIT Raipur) and PG (2014, IIT Kharagpur) in Biotechnology, I pursued PhD (2020, CSIR-CCMB Hyderabad) in Ornithology. My doctoral research was on southern India endemic and globally threatened Yellow-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus). My thesis focused on biogeographic history, population connectivity, habitat suitability model and natural history of this species. Post-PhD I joined Kerala Agricultural University Thrissur and worked on the Kerala Bird Atlas, a state-wide citizen-science project. I analyzed 0.3 million records of 371 species and communicated the findings to various stake holders including citizens, policy makers, forest department and science fraternity. Upon completion of the Kerala Bird Atlas project, I joined IISER Mohali as a postdoctoral fellow to study avian community dynamics and feeding guild via stable-isotope analysis.

I joined Wildlife Institute of India as Scientist C in August 2023. I am interested in avian conservation using multi-pronged approach including genetics, long-term monitoring, field-based natural history studies and community outreach. I can be contacted at ashishjha [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in.

Employment

• Wildlife Institute of India Scientist - C
  2023 - Present
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali Postdoctoral Researcher
  2022 - Present
• Kerala Agricultural University Research Associate
  2021 - 2022

Education

• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur M.Tech
  2012 - 2014

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (6)

• Contrasting occupancy models with presence-only models: Does accounting for detection lead to better predictions?
  Ecological Modelling 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110105
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• Kerala Bird Atlas 2015–20: features, outcomes and implications of a citizen-science project
  Current Science 2022 DOI: 10.18520/cs/v122/i3/298-309
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• Phylogeny identifies multiple colonisation events and Miocene aridification as drivers of South Asian bulbul (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae) diversification
  Organisms Diversity & Evolution 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s13127-021-00506-y
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• Records and Observations on Yellow-Throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) in The Deccan Peninsula, India
  Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS) 2021 DOI: 10.17087/jbnhs/2021/v118/147261
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• Environmental Niche Modelling of Globally Threatened Yellow-Throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus Xantholaemus for Conservation Prospects in the Deccan Peninsula, India
  Current Science 2020 DOI: 10.18520/cs/v119/i11/1815-1823
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• Demographic history of the fragmented yellowthroated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus) population in the Deccan Peninsula, India
  Endangered Species Research 2020 DOI: 10.3354/esr01062
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