Interests

Reading

I have been an ardent reader since I joined a local library at age 6. Fantasy, especially the high fantasy sub-genre, and science fiction are what I love reading the most. Most of my time is spent reading series that span multiple books, as I enjoy the freedom this gives for world-building and character development. My favourite series, in no particular order, include The Wheel of Time, The Stormlight Archive (and all the Cosmere books), The Lord of the Rings and the rest of Tolkien’s work (obviously), the Earthsea series, the Dune series and of course all of Isaac Asimov’s books (especially the Foundation series). Asimov’s work, in particular, was a strong influence on my decision to follow a career in research.

Board games

I enjoy playing a wide variety of board games, especially eurogames with worker placement and resource collection mechanisms. Complex games like Through the Ages, with multiple viable strategies to achieve victory, are something I’m very enthusiastic about playing. My interest mostly stems from a childhood spent playing strategy video games like Age of Empires II, and more recently Crusader Kings 2. I can usually be found playing either Puerto Rico or Dominion with my friends, or playing a whole bunch of games online at Board Game Arena (you can find my profile here).

Photography

I enjoy photography, primarily macro and street photography. I mainly use my Nikon D5300 along with a 35mm prime lens for capturing scenes that stand out to me on trips and at events. The process of finding a new and slightly abstract perspective on a common scene is extremely satisfying to me. Most of the photographs on this website were taken by me (the exceptions are listed in the credits). You can find some more of my images on DeviantArt!

Coding and data analysis

During my Ph.D., I developed a strong interest in coding and data analysis. I started out in R, which I still use for statistics, and I now also use Python for data analysis and machine learning. I enjoy applying my coding skills to different datasets and thinking up new ways to visualise and analyse the patterns in them. During my time at NCBS, Bangalore, I helped numerous colleagues with their data analysis and visualisation (check out some examples here and here). I also learnt HTML, CSS and JavaScript to make this website (the credits explain how it is put together).

You can check out some of the fantastic resources that I use on the resources page.

Illustrations

Another interest that stemmed from my Ph.D. days is graphical illustration. I realised while making my presentations and posters that most of the illustrations I could find on the internet did not fit my idea of how the presentation or poster should look. I then started using design software to produce schematics and illustrations that better suited my own storytelling style. With my rudimentary expertise in Photoshop, Illustrator and more recently Inkscape and GIMP, I have started producing illustrations for use in my own work. All the illustrations on this website, including the stylised honey bees on the home page, were made by me. I have also designed a poster and a t-shirt for “Tangled Bank”, the in-house ecology and evolution symposium at NCBS.

Prose and poetry

I have enjoyed writing prose and poetry since childhood. Although my attempts can be described as amateurish at best, writing, especially poetry, is something I find useful as a medium to express ideas and thoughts. During my undergraduate studies, I was part of the editorial team of our college newsletter. I enjoyed writing and curating articles during this time, and I have continued writing poetry since. You can read some of my writing on Medium!