Raghavendra Gadagkar
Encyclopedia
Raghavendra Gadagkar is a professor at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
in Bangalore
, India
, who studies evolution
using eusocial
insects Ropalidia marginata
.
Gadagkar has published over 250 scientific papers and articles in international journals as well as in Indian journals like Current Science
magazine, and the Journal of Biosciences (India), both published from Bangalore
. His most important contribution to the field of evolution of eusociality is the theory of "assured fitness returns" which has been verified from empirical data and can be considered as a significant landmark in this field since the seminal work done by W. D. Hamilton in 1964. Over the last three decades he has established an active research group that has contributed towards understanding the proximate and ultimate factors of social evolution in wasps. Some of his opinionated articles on science policy have been controversial, such as his exception to the pay to publish, free to read Open Access science publishing model.
His first book,
Survival Strategies, has been translated into Chinese and Korean. It uses simple language to explain recent advances in behavioural ecology and sociobiology to a general audience.
He has also written a more technical book, The Social Biology of Ropalidia marginata: Toward understanding the evolution of eusociality, which puts together over twenty years of his research about the evolution
of eusociality.
Since 2002 he is Non-resident Permanent Fellow at the German institute Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.
In 2006 Gadagkar became one of the very few Indian scientists to be elected as a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. He has won numerous awards for his contributions to science research including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biology in 1993.
He is currently the Chairman of the Research Council for the History of Science of the Indian National Science Academy
.
In 2004, Gadagkar pioneered the establishment of the Centre for Contemporary Studies in the Indian Institute of Science. This department is a platform for bringing together the natural and social sciences for a discourse of mutual benefit.
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, who studies evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
using eusocial
Eusociality
Eusociality is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification....
insects Ropalidia marginata
Ropalidiini
Ropalidiini is a tribe of social wasps inhabiting the Afrotropical, Indomalayan and Australasian biogeographical regions....
.
Gadagkar has published over 250 scientific papers and articles in international journals as well as in Indian journals like Current Science
Current Science
Current Science is a scientific journal established in 1932 and published by the Current Science Association along with the Indian Academy of Sciences. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal's 2009 impact factor of the journal is 0.782.. Professor Padmanabhan Balaram is the current...
magazine, and the Journal of Biosciences (India), both published from Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. His most important contribution to the field of evolution of eusociality is the theory of "assured fitness returns" which has been verified from empirical data and can be considered as a significant landmark in this field since the seminal work done by W. D. Hamilton in 1964. Over the last three decades he has established an active research group that has contributed towards understanding the proximate and ultimate factors of social evolution in wasps. Some of his opinionated articles on science policy have been controversial, such as his exception to the pay to publish, free to read Open Access science publishing model.
His first book,
Survival Strategies, has been translated into Chinese and Korean. It uses simple language to explain recent advances in behavioural ecology and sociobiology to a general audience.
He has also written a more technical book, The Social Biology of Ropalidia marginata: Toward understanding the evolution of eusociality, which puts together over twenty years of his research about the evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of eusociality.
Since 2002 he is Non-resident Permanent Fellow at the German institute Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.
In 2006 Gadagkar became one of the very few Indian scientists to be elected as a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. He has won numerous awards for his contributions to science research including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biology in 1993.
He is currently the Chairman of the Research Council for the History of Science of the Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
.
In 2004, Gadagkar pioneered the establishment of the Centre for Contemporary Studies in the Indian Institute of Science. This department is a platform for bringing together the natural and social sciences for a discourse of mutual benefit.