Evolutionary biologist · Phylogenetics & biogeography · Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc
Dr. Praveen Karanth
Reading the deep history of life in the genome.
I'm an evolutionary biologist and phylogeneticist at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. I study genetic variation, within species through population genetics and phylogeography, and among species through phylogenetics, to answer questions in ecology, evolution, behaviour and conservation biology.
About
My work reconstructs the deep history of life across the Indian subcontinent.
Using molecular tools, I work on systematics, historical biogeography and phylogeography, species delimitation, character evolution and conservation genetics — across study systems that range from langurs and leaf monkeys to Hemidactylus and Cyrtodactylus geckos, fan-throated lizards, butterflies, tarantulas, centipedes and plants.
Background
Education & experience
Education
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Postdoctoral research
Yale University · 2002–2005
University of Haifa · 2000–2001
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PhD, Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour
State University of New York at Albany · 1994–2000
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BSc, Agriculture
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore · 1989–1993
Professional experience
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Professor
Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc · 2018–present
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Associate Professor
Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc · 2011–2018
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Assistant Professor
Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc · 2005–2011
Teaching & service
Professional contributions
I teach Advanced Methods in Molecular Phylogenetics (EC304) and co-teach Evolutionary Biology (EC201) at IISc.
For an up-to-date list of publications and citation metrics, see my Google Scholar profile (opens in new tab).
Editorial boards
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Journal of Genetics
2007–2017
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Frontiers of Biogeography
2021–present
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Journal of Molecular Evolution
2024–present
Professional service
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Member
IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group · 2009–2012
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Organizing committee
International Biogeography Society off-year meeting, Bangalore · 2017
Resource person
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School of Herpetology
2012–2015
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Students Conference in Conservation Science
2013–2016
Workshop organizer
Workshop on Molecular Phylogenetics
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CES, IISc
2011–2019
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Mizoram University
2010, 2012
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Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology, Kochi
2019, 2026
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Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad
2023
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University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
2024
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Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment, Bangalore
2025
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Jain University, Bangalore
2026
New book
Molecular Phylogenetics
Building Evolutionary Trees using DNA Sequence Data
A textbook on the fundamentals of molecular phylogenetics — the approaches to constructing evolutionary trees, molecular markers, and statistical tests, and their applications. Written for students and researchers in taxonomy, biogeography and evolutionary biology.
Film
Featured film
India is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world with two biodiversity hotspots, the Western Ghats and the Northeast Himalayas. How was this rich biota of India assembled? i.e., was this diversity generated in-situ or was it derived from elsewhere, if so, where did they come from? When and how? What are the past geological and climatic events that might have shaped the diversity and distribution of Indian biota? These are some of the questions that we seek to answer.
To address these questions we go back in time millions of years ago (mya) and revisit India’s geological and climatic history, and also look at fossils across different time periods. Furthermore, we explore the distributions and evolutionary relationships of extant species of Indian subcontinent. This 10-part series is a journey that will attempt to synthesise the past geology, climate, fossil history of India with the current diversity and distribution of Indian biota to understand how this amazing diversity was assembled.
The lab
Evolving Phylo-Lab
I lead Evolving Phylo-Lab, where my group studies how India's biodiversity came to be.
Visit the lab (opens in new tab)