Shambhavi Chidambaram

Background

About Shambhavi Chidambaram

I am a zoologist by training, education and inclination. After completing my bachelor's in Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology from Meenakshi College for Women in Chennai (affiliated with the University of Madras), I entered the world of academic research in the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, completing a research-based Master's program. My thesis focused on the adaptive significance of circadian rhythms in fruit-flies, specifically in their egg-laying behaviour. In search of a fresh challenge, I turned my attention to the far more complex behaviour of mammals: nectar-feeding bats, and began my doctoral research in the Humboldt University in Berlin. This research produced several publications. It was during my time at the University that two lifelong interests gained professional grounding: animal welfare, through teaching a course on Ethical Lab Animal Handling; and science communication, through a free-lance journalism job covering research from Indian Universities. Ever eager to try something new, I entered the pharmaceutical industry towards the end of my PhD, starting the role I continue to work in today: patient recruitment. My skills in data analysis, writing and interpretation have enabled me to improve the lives of humans by helping them access vital healthcare in the form of clinical trials. My career has ever been focused on using my knowledge as a biologist and my skills as a scientist and writer to improve the lives of living creatures. My calling is to bring help to the voiceless, whether humans suffering from untreated illness or non-human animals exploited for food. In the next phase of my career, I hope to turn my attention to the latter, and bring my abilities to animal welfare and animal advocacy.