Hello and welcome!
We study how animals navigate an extraordinarily complex world, where interactions with both conspecifics and heterospecifics influence their survival and reproduction. At the heart of our research is a central question: Can organisms shape their own evolutionary trajectories through behaviour? To explore this, we focus on how animals manage predation risk—and how their defensive strategies influence mating patterns, evolutionary processes, and even ecosystem function.
To explore these questions, we conduct innovative experiments using arthropod model systems. Our work spans controlled laboratory settings, semi-natural mesocosm experiments, and field studies with natural populations in their native habitats allowing us to investigate ecological patterns while simultaneously uncovering the mechanisms that drive them. Our empirical research is grounded in formal mathematical theory of species interactions, and we aim to contribute to advancing theoretical understanding by developing novel conceptual frameworks.
We are based at GITAM, a private research University in Visakhapatnam. Surrounded by hills, forests, and a beach, the University provides a supportive environment where research can flourish.
I am currently looking for up to two PhD students. GITAM conducts its own PhD entrance exam, and the deadline for the current cycle is 12 May 2025. Interested candidates are welcome to get in touch with me over email at vtorseka [at] gitam.edu or viraj.torsekar [at] gmail.com, or Twitter @Torsay. Visit the research and the publications page to know more about our work.
Recent news
- October 2024: Paper published in eLife! Here’s a short summary about our work. And here’s my twitter thread doing the same.
- July 2024: Joined the Department of Life Sciences of GITAM (Visakhapatnam campus) as an Assistant Professor.