Debottam Bhattacharjee

Ph.D. I Biological Sciences

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong My project supervisors are Dr Alan McElligott, Dr Kate Flay, and Dr Hannah Mumby (The University of Hong Kong). I am investigating the impact of Water Buffalo on the biodiversity of Hong Kong's Lantau island, primarily using behavioural and ecological parameters. 


Click here for more details about the current project.

I completed my PhD (2014-2020) in Biological Sciences from the Department of Biological Sciences , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IISER-K).  I worked under the supervision of Dr Anindita Bhadra. My doctoral research focused on the behavioural adaptations of Indian free-ranging dogs (Canis familiaris) in urban environments. I was interested in understanding the evolution of dog-human relationship by exploring various factors such as interspecific (non-verbal) communication, interactions, and perceptions, etc. Please visit Area of Research and Publications for details.

After finishing my PhD, I moved to Utrecht University, the Netherlands with a Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellowship (2020-2023). I joined the lab of Dr Jorg Massen as a postdoctoral researcher. My research questions were broad, and I used an integrative approach of cognition and behaviour while addressing them. My specific yet broad research question was "Why individuals cooperate?" I studied cooperation in different macaque species focusing on various proximate mechanisms, e.g. personality, prosociality, and dominance-rank relationships. Such an interdisciplinary (behaviour and cognition) and comparative approach helped me understand the evolution of cooperation in animal societies. 

Please visit the research themes and publication pages for details.

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