CICASP | Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology

The 12th speaker in our lecture series is Prof. Mewa Singh, who will provide a lecture under the title "On Becoming a Primatologist, and a Wildlife Biologist: A Journey of a Half-Century" to share his path to primate research and his observations on macaque species.

 

Professor Singh will describe to us his primate research on long-tailed and bonnet macaques in urban landscapes, and the emergence of novel skills related to food extraction in these conditions. His talk comes centered around two messages: that one need not be a student of biology to become a primatologist if one determines to do hard work and persist under demanding conditions, and secondly, that primatology students from developing countries with limitations on research funding can still carry out a high standard of experimental research using low cost and local resources.  

 

About the speaker: Prof. Mewa Singh obtained his Master’s degree at Panjab University, Chandigarh, Ph.D. at University of Mysore, and training in Wildlife Management at Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. His research on ecology and behavior of wild mammals, especially of non-human primates, is field-based. He has worked in the forests of Himalayas, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, and Nicobar Islands. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, Prof. Singh was appointed as Life-Long Distinguished Professor at the Department of Psychology and Institute of Excellence at University of Mysore.