Team
Karan Deshpande
Karan is a marine biologist with research interests that explore interactions between developmental activities and the functional ecology of coral reef habitats along urban coastal areas. He has worked, alongside other colleagues, on research and conservation projects involving coral reef ecology, marine protected areas, elasmobranchs and illegal marine wildlife trafficking. He also routinely contributes to research and capacity development activities of the Counter Wildlife Trafficking Programme.
He completed his Master’s in Zoology from K.J. Somaiya College, Mumbai University; and currently leads the Coral Reef Project of the Marine Programme.
Nivetha Janani
Nivetha is a marine biologist with a profound research interest in marine ecology, heat-resilient zooxanthellae, and coral reef conservation. Holding a postgraduate degree in Marine Biotechnology, she has extensive experience in coral translocation, SCUBA-assisted ecological monitoring, and field research on coral resilience. As a certified Divemaster, she integrates scientific inquiry with hands-on underwater conservation efforts. At WCS-India, Nivetha will be a Project Associate with the Coral Reefs project, actively contributing to strategic coral reef conservation initiatives.