Devapriya Chattopadhyay
Affiliate Professor
Indian Institute of Science Schooling and Analysis
Pune, India
Asian Scientist Journal (Jul. 25, 2023) — Paleontologist Devapriya Chattopadhyay loves knowledge. She research wealthy fossil information of marine creatures, particularly these with calcium carbonate shells that assist of their preservation.
A few of these marine teams like seashells additionally exist as we speak, giving scientists a novel alternative to review their trendy counterparts similar to moon snail and oysters and perceive their conduct. Chattopadhyay’s main analysis query issues understanding how organisms behave or reply to environmental modifications. These modifications will be bodily or associated to organic interactions, influencing conduct and evolution of those animals. To deal with these questions, her analysis crew seems to be on the long-term fossil information, experiments with dwelling organisms resembling historical seashells and observes their conduct of their pure habitats as we speak.
Chattopadhyay speaks to Asian Scientist Journal about her ardour, challenges of subject analysis and sustaining fossil information, and the significance of nurturing curiosity.
1. What excites you most about your analysis?
There may be by no means a uninteresting second! I’m always testing new concepts and approaches. Earlier than beginning, I typically don’t know if the reply even exists, however the journey of exploring and designing experiments to search out the reply is what excites me essentially the most.
2. What are you engaged on today?
My group and I are presently specializing in a number of broad themes. One space of curiosity is knowing how the seaway connections influence the distribution of organisms worldwide. As an illustration, the Arabian Sea borders India to the east and Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to the west. Nonetheless, round 30 million years in the past, this water physique continued all the way in which to Mediterranean Sea. It was known as Tethyan seaway. We’re investigating how the event of landforms, separating a single seaway into two distinct waterbodies, led to modifications in species distribution amongst marine organisms. To do that, we examine the modern-day distribution patterns and observe modifications by way of time to see how these organisms developed within the separated water our bodies.
3. What challenges you face in your analysis?
There are lots of. One important problem is that I belong to a comparatively small educational neighborhood, which makes it important to hunt collaborations and interactions to nurture new concepts actively. Nonetheless, the pandemic has taught us the worth of digital interactions, permitting us to attach with colleagues worldwide regardless of geographical limitations.
One other problem is expounded to logistics. My analysis requires a considerable assortment of fossils. Sadly, India lacks a devoted Pure Historical past Museum the place such collections will be preserved and appropriately curated. Present collections are scattered throughout numerous institutes and universities; some danger being misplaced or not appropriately maintained after the accountable individuals retire. Moreover, many fossil-rich subject websites aren’t beneath strict safety, resulting in potential destruction resulting from growth initiatives.
Moreover, restricted funding alternatives in India for analysis that entails worldwide visits hinder our means to entry and examine collections in international museums. Lastly, conducting fieldwork in distant and even city areas will be difficult, notably for a single researcher who is just not male.
4. What concerning the collections in museums, just like the Indian Museum in Kolkata and different government-run museums?
The construction of the museum is essential. Pure Historical past Museums, just like the Area Museum in Chicago and the Smithsonian, have displays for public show and an in depth curated assortment of specimens accessible to researchers. These museums are concerned in lively analysis, always including to their collections by way of new analysis packages and correct curation.
Sadly, many Indian museums don’t observe trendy curation practices, resulting in insufficient upkeep and accessibility of essential collections. This leads to helpful fossils being separated from their corresponding info tags, making it troublesome to make the most of them successfully for analysis functions. Enhancing the preservation and accessibility of present collections needs to be a precedence to deal with this main downside.
5. Have you ever not too long ago collaborated with international institutes? How was that have?
One exceptional collaboration we began through the pandemic was with researchers from everywhere in the world. Particularly, two researchers from Germany and the UK approached me. They have been fascinated by understanding the position of bias in paleontological analysis, notably within the international database of fossil information, such because the Paleobiology Database (PBDB). Researchers worldwide use this database to reconstruct deep-time biodiversity. They requested whether or not we now have thought-about the paleobiology database information are well-distributed throughout totally different international locations.
By way of our collaboration, we investigated particular cases of bias. We discovered that the Paleobiology database has a poor illustration of the information from international locations with low GDP and people with a troubled colonial historical past. Which means our understanding of world historical past and the way life has modified over thousands and thousands of years is derived from knowledge collected primarily from just a few chosen locations. This bias arises as a result of the database gathers knowledge from printed literature, and publication charges are sometimes influenced by a rustic’s stage of schooling, economics, and colonial historical past.
We performed this collaboration by way of Zoom conferences and wrote a paper printed in Nature Ecology and Evolution. It was an fascinating and fruitful endeavor the place we didn’t know one another initially and by no means met in individual till not too long ago after the paper was printed. I take into account this collaboration as a excessive level through the pandemic, demonstrating that it’s attainable to attach with folks even with out bodily conferences.
6. What would your recommendation be for younger women who aspire to develop into paleobiologists such as you?
Turning into a paleobiologist is a various path with many prospects. Nonetheless, the widespread driving power for scientists is curiosity. If a teenager has a powerful curiosity about nature generally, it may very well be an early signal that paleobiology may very well be an acceptable alternative for them.
I really feel, you will need to aspire to develop into impartial whatever the gender. Independence is essential for fulfillment in any subject, together with paleobiology. Nonetheless, it comes with the value of typically discovering your self alone and being snug with that solitude. I’ve noticed that profitable ladies in science typically possess this mixture of curiosity and independence; they offer us power to pursue careers that aren’t usually thought-about choices for girls. So, my recommendation can be to nurture curiosity and develop a powerful sense of independence, no matter their chosen path.
7. What would you might have pursued if you happen to had not develop into a scientist?
If I had not develop into a scientist, I’d have pursued a profession in speaking concepts. This might contain instructing or science communication. I can’t consider some other particular different as a result of my publicity was not in depth sufficient to discover totally different profession paths. From the second I grew to become acutely aware of what I wished to do with my life, pursuing a profession in science felt pure to me. Whereas there are numerous different issues I’m fascinated by, they’re extra from a distance, and I by no means thought-about them as potential careers. So, I consider that changing into a scientist was all the time what I wished to do.
8. What do you do exterior of labor to calm down?
I don’t get a lot time to calm down, however I’ve just a few factors of curiosity. Firstly, I get pleasure from studying books exterior of my analysis and educational pursuits. Secondly, I’m keenly fascinated by music, notably Hindustani classical music, though I can not carry out myself. I get pleasure from strolling, mountaineering, and spending time with my daughter. Watching her develop additionally permits me to reconnect with my childhood, which is immensely satisfying.
9. As a lady pursuing analysis, what do you suppose authorities insurance policies can do to assist extra ladies keep in STEM?
Authorities insurance policies can play a big position in supporting ladies within the STEM, however these insurance policies have to be successfully applied. For instance, insurance policies associated to day-care amenities are essential, however they should be accompanied by monetary and infrastructural assist to ascertain practical day-cares. It shouldn’t solely depend on the involvement and curiosity of particular person college members. The federal government is accountable for implementing insurance policies and offering the mandatory sources.
One other side is the objective of accelerating range in institutes, together with gender illustration and illustration from numerous backgrounds. Implementing such objectives will be difficult, requiring cautious consideration and energy to make sure they’re successfully translated into actual outcomes. Merely stating the objective is just not sufficient; proactive steps have to be taken to attain true range and inclusivity.
10. Lastly, what recommendation would you give aspiring paleobiologists in Asia?
From a paleobiologist’s perspective, I’d say that the definition of paleobiology is continually increasing, notably in as we speak’s world. Paleontology is now not restricted to the examine of fossils, and it could provide distinctive insights that may assist deal with main environmental and biodiversity points. Paleobiology gives a glimpse into how life has interacted with the setting over lengthy durations and enormous spatial scales, that are past the scope of latest experiments. So, if aspiring researchers in Asia are keen about these topics, I’d encourage them to contemplate paleobiology as a subject of examine.
(Responses are edited for size and readability).
This text is from an everyday collection known as Asia’s Rising Scientists. Click on here to learn different articles within the collection.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Journal; Picture: Wey Wen/ Asian Scientist Journal