Kiran Marathe
PhD student
Contact
Kiran Marathe
PhD student
Department of Zoology
University of British Columbia
Hello and welcome!
I am a naturalist and explorer interested in biodiversity and its evolution. Currently, I am a PhD student with Prof Wayne Maddison at the University of British Columbia, learning and working on the taxonomy and systematics of jumping spiders.
For my PhD, I study three salticid groups – plexippines, aelurillines, and chrysillines. The principal objective is to resolve the phylogeny of each group using ultraconserved element (UCE) data to investigate the validity of the current classification, assess generic concepts (which are non-existent for most genera!), and understand the relationships among them. The broad outcomes of my thesis will include robust phylogenies for the three groups, generic revisions, and new species and genus descriptions. Please visit the 'Research' section for more details.
Before starting my PhD, I worked on Indian cicadas and butterflies with Dr Krushnamegh Kunte at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru and I continue to be associated with the Biodiversity Lab.
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Amidst the rapid loss of biodiversity (and taxonomists!), the advancement of taxonomic research greatly depends on collaborations. So please feel free to get in touch if you're interested in discussing potential projects on salticid taxonomy and systematics.
I am a naturalist and explorer interested in biodiversity and its evolution. Currently, I am a PhD student with Prof Wayne Maddison at the University of British Columbia, learning and working on the taxonomy and systematics of jumping spiders.
For my PhD, I study three salticid groups – plexippines, aelurillines, and chrysillines. The principal objective is to resolve the phylogeny of each group using ultraconserved element (UCE) data to investigate the validity of the current classification, assess generic concepts (which are non-existent for most genera!), and understand the relationships among them. The broad outcomes of my thesis will include robust phylogenies for the three groups, generic revisions, and new species and genus descriptions. Please visit the 'Research' section for more details.
Before starting my PhD, I worked on Indian cicadas and butterflies with Dr Krushnamegh Kunte at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru and I continue to be associated with the Biodiversity Lab.
----
Amidst the rapid loss of biodiversity (and taxonomists!), the advancement of taxonomic research greatly depends on collaborations. So please feel free to get in touch if you're interested in discussing potential projects on salticid taxonomy and systematics.