Dr Shivani Jadeja holds a PhD in Biological Sciences with specialisation in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA and an MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the Wildlife Conservation Society – India Program at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, India.

Her teaching and research draws from her international exposure to state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities in India, USA, and Costa Rica. She teaches biology and data analytics to undergraduate students and mentors them to carry out inquiry driven projects both in the field and in the laboratory. Her student-centred teaching style emphasises development of higher-order thinking skills including critical thinking, problem-solving, and synthesis.

Research

Ecology
Evolutionary ecology
Life-history strategies
Animal behaviour
Plant-animal interactions
Woody plant invasions
Ecological statistics

Publication

1. Jeppu, Deesha, and Shivani Jadeja. Habitat density, dispersal ability and migratory behaviour modulate body mass–extinction risk relationship in birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Vol 293, No. 2063 (2026): 20252304.
2. Vinayan, P. A., M. A. Yathumon, and Shivani Jadeja. Large yearly fluctuations in congregation sizes of migratory Danainae butterflies in the Western Ghats, India. Biotropica Vol 57, No. 3 (2025): e70040.
3. Jadeja, Shivani, and Brigitte Tenhumberg. Presence of fruits decreases probability of retaining flowers in a sequentially flowering plant. AoB Plants Vol. 10, No. 3 (2018): ply033.
4. Jadeja, Shivani, and Brigitte Tenhumberg. Phytophagous insect oviposition shifts in response to probability of flower abortion owing to the presence of basal fruits. Ecology and evolution Vol 7, No. 21 (2017): 8770-8779
5. Jadeja, Shivani. First record on secondary pollen presentation in the Cucurbitaceae family. Plant Ecology and Evolution Vol. 148, No. 2 (2015): 297-299.
6. Jadeja, Shivani, Soumya Prasad, Suhel Quader, and Kavita Isvaran. Antelope mating strategies facilitate invasion of grasslands by a woody weed. Oikos Vol. 122, No. 10 (2013): 1441-1452.

Teaching Module

Current courses:
BIOS 224: Evolution
BIOS 232: Ways of Knowing: Methods and Communication
BIOS 235 | ENVS 236: Animal Behaviour
KCCS 124: Data Analytics

Past courses:
BIOS 201: Life at different scales (team-taught)
BIOS 211: Contemporary biology (co-taught)
KCCS 133: Design Thinking