Chemical Ecology is the study of chemically-mediated interactions among organisms. We study such interactions between plants, insects and microbes. Plants, the energy support system for life on this planet, are sessile and cannot run away from their enemies. They have evolved sophisticated means to tackle the various challenges they might encounter. The co-evolution between plants and insects is a major reason for the biodiversity seen around us. We study plant defense responses against insects and their regulation by phytohormones. Insects, on the other hand, have adapted to their dietary challenges and often exhibit remarkable tolerance to poisons in their host plants. Some insects also have the ability to sequester the toxins from their host for their own defense. We study the insect adaptation mechanisms with the aim to understand the co-evolutionary arms-race between plants and insects. We also examine the role of insect gut microbes in insect adaptation to host plants. We are funded by NCBS-TIFR, DST and DBT.
Lab news
May 2016 RV is awarded the prestigious Early Career Research Award, SERB, Govt of India Apr 2016 RV becomes Head of Max-Planck - India (DST) Partner group in Chemical Ecology Mar 2016 Jyotsna joins as postdoc. Welcome! Feb 2016 Vineet joins the lab. Welcome! Jan 2016 RV is awarded the Prestigious Ramanujan Fellowship from SERB, Govt of India Jan 2016 Dorothy joins the lab. Welcome! Dec 2015 Navya joins as intern. Welcome! Dec 2015 Rohit joins the lab. Welcome! Nov 2015 Dharanipathi joins the lab. Welcome! Nov 2015 Maya Goel visits the lab for 2 weeks! Oct 2015 Varsha joins the lab. Welcome! Sep 2015 Lab renovated! Aug 2015 Shiksha Ajmera joins. Welcome! Aug 2015 Dr. Jagadeesh joins as postdoc. Welcome! Feb 2015 Dr. Radhika Venkatesan joins NCBS! |
Contact:
Dr. Radhika Venkatesan National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS) Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) GKVK Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065 Email: [email protected] Phone: +91 80 2366 6121 Access: https://www.ncbs.res.in/contact-us For positions available, please click below. |