Butterflies, Biodiversity and Big Questions with Dr Krushnamegh Kunte

Prof Krushnamegh Kunte’s journey began in the sleepy town of Pune. The native greenery of his neighbourhood and an environment free from modern distractions allowed a young professor Kunte to spend time appreciating the local insect fauna. His interest in ecology blossomed during a nature camp in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This interest in the natural sciences was cemented at a very early stage. He remembers his aunt asking him the question every Indian child dreads - what do you plan on becoming when you grow up? He answered frankly: a naturalist. His aunt was worried about his financial prospects in the natural sciences. He quite categorically stated that money doesn’t matter as long as he’s pursuing his passion. It is rare to observe such sagacity and poise in a person so young.

He comes from a very humble background. Prof Kunte and his sister were first-generation college graduates in his family. He is also the first person in his family to be awarded a PhD. But his college life, according to him, was a series of one academic disaster after another. He remembers failing a bunch of exams. He recounts watching a butterfly lay eggs while cycling on his way to an exam. He decided to take the clutch of eggs home to study them, completely eschewing sitting for his exam. Over the next month, he studied butterfly development from the egg stage, through the various moults, to pupation, to the adult stage. He meticulously photographed each developmental stage. These photos also appear in his book on butterflies, which was published a few years later.

Dr Milind Watve gave him the opportunity to work on a project at the Mudumalai National Park. Here, he had a great opportunity to learn from eminent working scientists. This year, transformed from a failing student to a passionate biodiversity researcher. He has written a book on his experiences in the National Park. He writes, Gautam Buddha had a tree to find enlightenment under, while I had an entire forest. Back in Pune, he started a self-motivated project to study the population of butterflies in the city. A publication was the result of this endeavour. This also brought him no small share of fame and celebrity in his college.

He eventually landed a position as a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin’s prestigious Biodiversity Centre. At UT Austin, he was exposed to cutting-edge research in the field of evolution. He was also embedded in a culture of open dialogue and discussion, which allowed him to make friends at many different labs. Under the supervision of Prof. Lawrence Gilbert, he studied the evolution of sexual dimorphism in butterflies. He combined evolutionary and phylogenetic approaches to arrive at an astounding discovery, which challenged the existing wisdom around sexual dimorphism in butterflies. His work was published in the Proceedings of The Royal Society. The scientific community was quick to take notice of his talent, and he had post-doctoral opportunities lined up in his fourth year of PhD. He had started working at Prof Marcus Kronfost’s lab at Harvard University even before his thesis defence. His work at Harvard produced a lot of excitement in the world of sexual dimorphism and mimicry research, culminating in a publication in Nature.

As a PI, he has expanded his research work to cataloguing the biodiversity of India. A lot of the projects in his current endeavour are driven by citizen scientists. These efforts are helping to push the frontiers of biodiversity in India. His journey is a testament to his belief that there needs to be no boundary between what you’re passionate about and the career you build. It also shows us that young people just need the right opportunity to channel their talents to build an incredible career.

Written by - Deven Matkari