teaching interests

Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. Unless he doesn't like sushi - then you also have to teach him to cook.

A. Hoffman

As much as I love research, I LOVE to teach.*

*this is probably the result of growing up as the son of a motivational and enthusiastic university professor in Bangalore, India.

Below are some selected thoughts on teaching

Teaching philosophy and style

I believe that teaching should go beyond merely disseminating facts and ideas. My aim is to empower students to actively identify their own learning priorities and to take responsibility for achieving these goals. But in order to progress to this level of self-directed learning, they require support and guidance. My goal as an educator is to make students comfortable in identifying and solving problems in their relevant field of study.

My style of teaching is derived largely from my outgoing personality but is also influenced by excellent role models throughout my formal education. I enjoy teaching most as an interactive exercise, where students are confronted with problems and my role is more of a facilitator and guide than as a traditional instructor.

Teaching experience and interests

I have taught science to diverse groups including high school and university undergraduate students. Subjects I have taught, mentored or assisted in include introductory biology, ecology and evolutionary biology, animal behaviour and conservation biology.

I am interested in teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in ecology, conservation biology, community and plant ecology. Furthermore, where the opportunity arises, I am keen on involving students in my research as part of my teaching program, having done this successfully as a graduate student. I am also keen to ensure that, in courses that lend themselves well to this, I incorporate a fair degree of active learning through student participation -- be it through group projects, field trips, or experiments.