Sanjay Molur, Ph.D.
Executive Director Trustee, ZOO
Secretary, WILD
With nearly three decades in conservation, Sanjay is a global expert in conservation assessments and planning, having evaluated over 10,000 taxa across southern Asia, southeastern Asia, Africa, and South America. His fieldwork spans diverse species groups including amphibians, tarantulas, rodents, bats, primates, macro fungi, and aquatic plants. As Chief Editor of the Journal of Threatened Taxa and representative of several SSC IUCN specialist groups including the Alliance for Zero Extinction and Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, he champions lesser-known and understudied species. The RHATC course is his brainchild, inspired by his early career training in the 1990s. Having joined ZOO 31 years ago as a program officer, he now serves as Executive Director, continuing the organization's legacy while specializing in risk assessments, conservation planning, and science communication.
Latha G Ravikumar, MBA
Finance Director Trustee, ZOO
Treasurer, WILD
She has an MBA and is in charge of the Organisation's finances, administration, and legalities. Her expertise spans strategic financial planning, statutory compliance, grant management, and organisational development. She manages comprehensive administrative systems, handles legal documentation, and oversees internal audits and reporting. Aside from that, she is involved in most of the ZOO's projects, which include Zoos' Print, scientific databases, web designing and developing, assistance with developing educational materials, travel planning, computer services, resource allocation, capacity building, and infrastructure management. She has been working with ZOO more than 34 years, contributing to its growth. Her multi-faceted role combines financial management and administration with technical oversight of publications, databases, and digital resources, while also supporting educational initiatives and organisational infrastructure development.
R. Marimuthu, M.Sc., Education Officer
Additional Trustee
Marimuthu is a M.Sc. in wildlife from A.V.C. College, Mayladuthurai. Marimuthu’s communication skill endears him to his target audiences who usually let down their guard and participate in the programmes completely. He has had several trainings including the famous Jersey Training in Endangered Species Management and the World Conservation Society’s Education training in New York. He has been one of the more successful educator trainees involved in the Teachers for Tiger workshops of WCS & ZOO. His expertise in environmental education complements his role in coordinating conservation and community engagement initiatives.
B. Ravichandran, Managing Editor, JoTT
Additional Trustee
He joined as an Administrative Assistant in 1999 with office clerical works and assisted in more than 15 workshops (PHVA, CAMP, Field Technique, Teachers for Tigers series, SAZARC). While maintaining the library at ZOO, He developed DTP skills and became an editorial assistant for Zoo’s Print Journal in 2014. Later he become Managing Editor of Journal of Threatened Taxa when it started in 2009. Beyond his editorial responsibilities, he contributes to field operations and habitat restoration activities.
K. Geetha, Accounts cum Project Executive Additional Trustee
Geetha is taking care account maintenance, record keeping and assist with administration. Her responsibilities includes administrative support for conservation programs.
S. Radhika
Accounts cum Project Executive
Radhika is a M.Com graduate and has taken on the responsibilities of maintaining communications, helps with accounts, publication and general administration. She supports project implementation through administrative coordination and financial documentation.
Priyanka Iyer, M.Phil.
Researcher / Associate Editor
She is passionate about wildlife conservation and have worked on aquatic systems, policy issues, education, and editing publications. Assisted with IUCN Red List assessments and the Assessment to Planning process as part of the Conservation Planning Specialist Group, South Asia. She is fond of creating art that creates awareness about threats faced by wildlife. She leads restoration and conservation projects, coordinating teams and stakeholders while managing project implementation and monitoring. Her work focuses on coordinating ecological restoration programs and stakeholder engagement, while contributing to conservation planning and assessment.
P. Vishal Ahuja, M.Sc.
Researcher
Vishal Ahuja hails from Chamba and is a teacher by trade. Vishal joined the Himalayan Langur Project in 2012. He oversees the Himalayan Langur Education Program in schools in Chamba and is passionate about trekking and is currently overseeing restoration activities in Chamba.
Usha Ravindra, M.Sc.
Research Assistant
She hails from Bangalore and basically is a physicist. Now she is exploring wildlife as a career and is finding out how to contribute to conservation through research.
Trisa Bhattacharjee, M.Sc.
RHATC Coordinator
She is an MSc Ecology student from Pondicherry University. She is a wildlife enthusiast and like studying human perceptions, spending time with forests and other indigenous communities. She was a proud student in Zoo Outreach Organisation's first batch of Ram Hattikudur Advanced Training Course. Her role encompasses communications strategy and impact assessment for environmental initiatives, with a focus on community engagement and program evaluation.
Tandrali Baruah, M.Sc.
Research Assistant / Educator
She worked with WWF India Assam and Arunachal Pradesh State Office where she helped in building conservation leadership among students by enhancing knowledge and skills to adopt pro-conservation attitudes and sustainable lifestyles. Through her work, she wants to build a future where people and wildlife co-exist and wildlife corridors are secured not at the cost of infrastructural development but by adopting a sustainable development plan.
Dr. Bhargavi Srinivasulu, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Bhargavi earned a Ph.D. in birds from the Osmania University. She is a Chiropterologist (bat expert). She affiliated with Zoo Outreach Organisation for several years and also works as intern at zoology department of Osmania University.
Dr. Manju Siliwal, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Manju is a spider taxonomist (Arachnologist). She has a Ph.D. degree in Zoology (on spiders of Agroecosystem) from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat. Manju works with WILD on a very exciting topic on distribution and status of Mygalomorph spiders in India. Her main job involves field surveys in different parts of India to collect ecological and taxonomical data on Indian Theraphosids. She has several scientific papers to her credit, the most important one being a complete checklist of Indian spiders.
Dr. Mewa Singh, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist
Mewa Singh is an internationally acclaimed expert on ecology and animal behaviour with emphasis on non-human primates. His research has paved the way to better understand social behaviour, resource distribution strategies, ecology, demography and the impacts of habitat destruction on various threatened species. His work on the Slender Loris and the Lion-tailed Macaque brought international attention to these highly endangered but little-known species and has driven on-ground conservation action. His decades long career has seen him shine in the role of Dean at University of Mysore and is currently a Professor For Life at the University. He has mentored a generation of students, many of whom are pursuing studies of their own in the domain of animal behavior, ecology, and conservation biology. With several awards to his credit and with a vast knowledge in various fields of science Mewa is a treasure trove and a steady guiding hand for the students.
Dr. Sameer Padhye, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Sameer Padhyae is a Data Analyst with 9+ years of experience in interpreting and analyzing scientific research data and am proficient in data wrangling, modeling & visualization. His research interests include systematics, biodiversity and biogeography of Branchiopoda (Arthropoda: Crustacea) from the Indian subcontinent, biodiversity dynamics and community ecology of some freshwater invertebrates in the Oriental tropics with special reference to eutrophicated water bodies and rock pools.
Sayantan Das, M.Sc.
Researcher
Sayantan Das manages the Nicobar Project of the Biopsychology laboratory at the University of Mysore. He is interested in behavior, ecology and environmental conservation.
Nagarathna Balakrishna
I am Nagarathna Balakrishna. I have completed my Master's in Ecology and Environmental Science (2019) from Pondicherry University. I am passionate about wildlife ecology and conservation. I am particularly interested in looking at how anthropogenic activities are driving major changes in animal societies such as speciation and how it affects their ecology and behaviour.