Research interests
I pursue research for the sheer joy
of doing it. I understand that there are indefinite numbers of
aspects in multitude of disciplines which could be pursued. Ecology
happened to be the field I am fallen in love with. Ecological
research fascinates me for its vastness, interdisciplinary nature,
complexity and diversity. Difficulties (or is it the beauty?)
associated with the flexibility of interpretations possible in
ecology at different scales, taxa, space and time really interest
me. I hope to understand nature by focusing on birds since this is
the taxon I am familiar with. I attempt to pursue seamless
natural history along with the stylized ecological research.
My specific interests include:
biogeography, community ecology and species level ecology.
Education
Ph. D. (in progress), Salim Ali
Centre for Ornithology and Natural History & Bharathiar University,
India.
M.S. in Wildlife Science,
Aligarh Muslim
University,
Uttar Pradesh, India (2005)
B.Sc. in Zoology, Calicut University, Kerala, India (2003)
Appointments and research
experience
Present: Currently I am pursuing my PhD. as a Research Fellow at
Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History (SACON),
Coimbatore. I attempt to understand "Insular biogeography of
Nicobar Islands
from a bird community perspective". I carry out my field work in
Nicobar archipelago in the project entitled "Monitoring post tsunami
coastal ecosystem recovery in the Nicobar Islands and developing site-specific restoration measures".
2007-2008:
I
worked for seven months as a Resource Person in the five eastern
districts of Nagaland in a programme that aims at conservation of
community forests of highly diverse tribes of the state. The work
involved largely documentation of indigenous ecological knowledge by
visiting remote settlements along the Patkai Range of Indo-Myanmar
border.
2006-2007:
I
worked in Mumbai (largely at Sewri and Nhava mudflats) for one year
in a programme entitled "Mumbai Trans Harbour Sea Link (MTHL)
project: study of flamingos and migratory birds".
The research
aimed at understanding the habitat use and local
distribution
monitoring population and observing
behavioral (activity) patterns, and
analyzing mud and water for invertebrates and their chemistry.
2005-2006:
I
was associated with Inheritance India Land Conservation Company
Ltd., Mumbai as a research coordinator-cum-naturalist in Golden
Valley, Nelliampathy Hills, Palakkad Dist., Kerala.
Fellowships/awards/grants
2006-2008:
Junior Research
Fellowship from Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of
India, through SACON.
2009-present: Research Fellowship
from Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Govt. of
India, through SACON.
Publications
Dissertation/reports:
Das, K.S.A., Zaibin, A. P.
and Balakrishnan, P. 2008. Preliminary observations on the
faunistic wealth of Golden Valley Estate, Nelliyampathy Hills,
Western Ghats. Report submitted to Inheritance India Land
Conservation Company Ltd., Mumbai.
Vijayan, L.,
N. Prasad, Muralidharan, S., Bhupathy, S.,
Dhananjayan, V., Zaibin, A. P., Jayanthi, P. (2007).
Mumbai Trans Harbour Sea Link (MTHL) project: study of flamingos and
migratory birds. Interim report submitted to Maharashtra State Road
Development Corporation Ltd., Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History,
Coimbatore.
Zaibin, A. P. (2005). Vertical stratification and
community structure of birds in the southern
Western Ghats: a
study in natural forest and plantation. MSc. Thesis submitted to the
Dept. of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University.
Zaibin, A. P. (2005). A preliminary study on some of the
ecological aspects of
Golden Valley
in the Nelliampathy Hills. Report submitted to Inheritance India
Land Conservation Company Ltd.,
Mumbai.
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