Profile

Dr. Priyadarshini Chakrabarti Basu is currently working as a post-doctoral researcher at the Honey Bee Lab - Oregon State University - USA. Priyas chief focus currently lies in improving honey bee health by understanding honey bee nutrition and deciphering the effects of pesticides on pollinators. She employs various techniques of molecular ecology - neuroethology - insect physiology - ecotoxicology etc. to address her research questions. She has pursued Ph.D. from the Dept. of Zoology and Centre for Pollination Studies (CPS) - University of Calcutta (CU) in India - where she studied the effects of pesticides on native wild Indian honey bees. She has been the recipient of the prestigious Royal Society Newton International Fellowship. She also pursued research at the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University - UK - being awarded the prominent Newton Bhaba PhD Placement Fellowship. She secured First Class First position from CU in Masters in Zoology (recipient of the gold medal) - First Class Third position in B. Sc. (Honors) in Zoology (CU) and the prestigious DST-INSPIRE Fellowship from the Department of Science and Technology - Government of India - for pursuing her Ph.D. She lectured in Zoology for two years at an undergraduate college in India and she currently takes up teaching assignments in OSU as well. She has received numerous grants (research - travel and fellowships) and awards of both national and international fame. With an urge to improve beekeeping practices and belief in pollinator friendly techniques - she has toiled in remote villages of various Eastern Indian states in close association with the farmers and beekeepers. She was an integral part of the Darwin Initiative (DEFRA - UK) funded CPS group and has organized and participated in various farmers meetings and awareness programs in India. She has published various peer reviewed scientific journals - books chapters and extension articles. She has organized - participated and has lend her expertise in numerous national and international conferences - workshops - seminars - training sessions etc. Apart from mentoring undergraduate and graduate students - she also interacts at daylong seminars with schoolchildren to teach honey bee biology and spread environmental and pollinator awareness.