Mark Menezes
Project Student
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RESEARCH INTERESTS:
I believe I inherited a gift to be able to spot, understand and keenly observe birds and the natural world around me. I was 7yrs old when my parents gifted me a Field Guide; Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Since then all of my academic interests and decisions have been directed towards becoming an Ornithologist. Over the last few years my interests have been drawn towards the fields of Phylogenetics and Biogeography. These are not just academic pursuits for me. I am personally interested in how birds have evolved and speciated across different biogeographic realms. I would like my work to eventually answer key questions on how historical events, habitat availability, migration, speciation have determined present day bird distributions and boundaries. I aim to answer these questions using phylogenetics and genomics. In relation to this field of research and as one of the outcomes of it, I hope to be able to significantly contribute towards the much contested question in the field of biology i.e. the definition and understanding of what is a species? Therefore, species delimitation and avian systematics, though no longer a very popular field, are some of my key research pursuits. I am grateful to be a part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Lab at IISER-T. Its focus on birds and the strengths and expertise of its team across genomics, bioacoustics computational and field biology have provided me with an excellent environment to advance my research interests. PERSONAL AND OTHER INTERESTS:
My favourite sport is Snooker. I have represented my state in 10 National Snooker & Billiards Championships across the Sub-junior Junior and Senior categories. This journey which began in grade 4 led me to travel extensively across the country and be independent from an early age. I play the drums and the guitar and I enjoy listening to music. I keep abreast of current affairs and economic news. There is nothing that brings me more joy than being in a forest and observing all the activities that unfold. 
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