MIND VOICE NEWS-From rural Kerala to Harvard: The incredible journey of Sathyabhama Das Biju, the 'Frogman of India'
Harvard University Names Delhi University Professor Biju as Radcliffe Fellow Harvard University has named Delhi University Professor Sathyabhama Das Biju, also known as the “Frogman of India,” as a Radcliffe Fellow. The fellowship is awarded to 50 individuals each year who have demonstrated an exceptional level of achievement in their work. Biju is one of the most renowned biologists in India, known for his three decades of work discovering over a hundred new species of amphibians in South Asia.
The fellowship will enable Biju to focus on efforts to outpace nameless extinctions in India’s amphibian hotspots through discovery and documentation of species and identification of key biodiversity areas for conservation prioritization. At Harvard, Biju will collaborate with faculty, postdocs, and students, and will have access to the rich specimen collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is one of the world’s leading centres for interdisciplinary research and exploration. The Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program brings together a range of scholars and practitioners in various disciplines to pursue their work in a highly concentrated fashion.
Biju is only the second fellow from India in the Biological Sciences discipline to receive this recognition, and his selection reflects his vast contributions to amphibian research and conservation. “It is a great honour to be part of the Harvard’s Radcliffe community,” said Biju. “I look forward to joining an extraordinary cohort of Radcliffe Fellows and advancing my missions in such an academically rich and diverse environment.”
Biju’s work is essential for identifying key conservation areas for amphibians in India, which are critical indicators of ecosystem health. Through his research, he has increased scientific knowledge about amphibians, and his discoveries will help in preserving these unique creatures for future generations.
Sathyabhama Das Biju, popularly known as the ‘Frogman of India’, has made significant contributions to the field of amphibian research and conservation. Born in May 1963 in rural Kerala, Biju did not have access to formal education during his early years. However, his passion for nature and the environment led him to pursue a master’s degree in Botany from Kerala University in 1987. Later, he obtained his first PhD in Plant Systematics in 1999 from Calicut University.
Biju began his scientific career as a scientist at the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI) from 1992 to 2003. During his tenure, he focused on plant systematics and published several research articles, books, and identified several new plant species, resolving long-standing taxonomic and systematic problems of plants belonging to the families Convolvulaceae and Rubiaceae.
Biju’s passion for nature and the environment soon shifted towards amphibians. Over the past three decades, he has discovered over a hundred new species of frogs and other amphibians in South Asia, gaining global attention to the importance of amphibian research and conservation. His work has been pivotal in increasing scientific knowledge of amphibians in the region and identifying key biodiversity areas for conservation prioritization.
Biju’s contributions to amphibian research have been recognized globally, with Harvard University naming him a Radcliffe Fellow in 2023. The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University is one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary research and exploration. As a Radcliffe Fellow, Biju will be working on outpacing nameless extinctions in India’s amphibian hotspots through discovery and documentation of species and identification of key biodiversity areas for conservation prioritization.
Biju’s vast contributions to amphibian research and conservation have made him only the second fellow in this discipline from India to be recognized by the Radcliffe Institute’s Fellowship Program. This recognition is a testament to Biju’s commitment to scientific research and conservation, and his passion for nature and the environment.
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