My research interests lie at the cross-section of conservation science, wildlife history and policy. Since my PhD in Ecology (Duke University, 1998) my research work has expanded to issues such as conservation-induced displacement and community-based conservation. My book Conservation at the Crossroads (Permanent Black, 2010), critically analyzes contemporary wildlife policy and implementation in India. I helped set up and taught at the School of Human Ecology, Ambedkar University, from 2009-2014. Since 2021, I have been teaching at Environmental Studies at Ashoka University, Haryana. Alongside, I have been involved in the promotion of nature-linked tourism as a livelihood among rural youth in Kumaon and Garhwal, through science-based training programmes and outreach activities. My  current research is on quantifying environmental change and its long-term drivers, as seen in bird and tree communities in Western Himalayan oak forests. My long-term goal is to explore and expand the middle-ground between anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity conservation through research, advocacy and practice.