Tarsh Thekaekara

Tarsh Thekaekara is an Associate Professor at TDU's Centre for Coexistence Studies since January 2024, and serves as Director of The Real Elephant Collective, focusing on scalable solutions for Lantana camara and innovative fundraising. As a Trustee of The Shola Trust, Tarsh is engaged in research on integrating human-elephant spaces and invasive species. Previous experience includes roles as an Adjunct Fellow at Dakshin Foundation and a Visiting Fellow at the Indian Institute of Science, where work centered on elephant genetics, as well as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. Early career contributions include consulting for Greenpeace India and WWF-India, and a fellowship with Commutiny, which addressed indigenous ecological knowledge. Tarsh's educational background includes a PhD in Geography from The Open University, an MSc from the University of Oxford, and a BSc in Physics, Mathematics, and Electronics from St. Joseph's College of Arts and Science.