She holds a master’s degree in psychology from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu and a PhD in animal behaviour from Mysore University, Karnataka. Her research interests span the areas of primatology, conservation biology, animal studies and environmental education and lately, her work has focused on gaining a better understanding of relations between humans and wildlife. She is the recipient of many research grants and honours, notably the INSA Young Scientist Award in 2004 and the Nehru-Fulbright Fellowship in 2013.