SAYANTAN BISWAS

SAYANTAN BISWAS

Doctoral Candidate

Dept. of Biological Sciences

George Washington University

Lisner Hall, 2023 G Street N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20052, USA

Tel: 202-994 9210 (Lab)

Fax: 202-994 6100 (Dept.)

Email: sayantan at gwu dot edu

Amboli, Maharashtra, India

Research Interests:

Systematics, biogeography and conservation of frogs, lizards and snakes, especially South and Southeast Asian; Use of phylogenetic approach to understand diversification in the tropics; Adopting evolutionary perspectives into conservation planning

Education:

Ph.D. Student (Biological Sciences) - George Washington University, 2001 Fall - Present

Masters (Wildlife Science) - Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India, 1997-99

Bachelors (Zoology) - University of Calcutta, Calcutta, India, 1994-97

Other courses:

OTS-3 - Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach - Organization of Tropical Studies, June - July 2002

Grants & Awards:

Visiting Scholarship, Field Museum, Chicago - $1,070. 2005 Winter

Ernst Mayr Grant Travel Grant in Animal Systematics, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University - $1,300. 2005 Winter

Isabella Osborn King Fellowship in Biological Sciences, George Washington University 2005-06

Visiting Student Fellowship, Smithsonian Institution (9 weeks) - $2700. 2004 Summer

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society - Grants-In-Aid of Research - $950. 2004 Spring

Weintraub Fellowship in Biological Sciences, George Washington University. 2001-02; 2003-05

Sigma Xi (GWU Chapter) –Grants-in-Aid of Research - $150. 2003

Charles Stearns Memorial Grant-In-Aid for Herpetological Research at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), San Francisco, USA. 2002

Post Graduate Intern Fellowship, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India. Feb-Apr 2000

“Save the Tiger Fund” fellowship awarded by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, U.S., for Masters coursework and Dissertation. 1998-1999

Publications:

Biswas, S. (2006, in press). Assignment of currently misplaced Cnemaspis gordongekkoi Das 1993 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) to Cyrtodactylus Gray 1827 Russian Journal of Herpetology

Biswas, S. & N. M. Ishwar. (2006). Cnemaspis (Oriental Dwarf Geckos) Communal Oviposition Herpetological Review 37: 83-84. pdf (385 KB; scanned low-resolution copy)

Biswas, S. & S. S. Pawar. (2006). Phylogenetic test of distribution patterns in the Indian subcontinent: towards an integrative approach. Journal of Biosciences 31: 95-113. pdf (1073 KB)

Biswas, S. (2005). Cnemaspis mysoriensis (Mysore dwarf gecko): Reproduction. Herpetological Bulletin 93: 21-22. pdf (185 KB; scanned low-resolution copy)

Greer, A. E. & S. Biswas. (2004). A generic diagnosis for the Southeast Asian scincid lizard Genus Tropidophorus Dumeril & Bibron, 1839 with some additional comments on morphology and distribution. Journal of Herpetology 38: 426-430. pdf (158 KB)

Biswas, S. & K. Sankar. (2002). Prey abundance and food habits of tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Zoology 256: 411-420. pdf (146 KB)

Pawar, S. & S. Biswas. (2001). First Record of the smooth-backed parachute gecko Ptychozoon lionotum Annandale 1905 from the Indian Mainland. Asiatic Herpetological Research 9: 101-106. pdf (173 KB)

Biswas, S. (2000). Notes on the breeding habits of Chirixalus dudhwaensis Ray 1992, from Uttar Pradesh, Northern India. Hamadryad 25: 200-203. pdf (495 KB; scanned low-resolution copy)

Deuti, K., S. Biswas, F. Ahmed & S. K. Dutta. (2000). Rediscovery of Chirixalus simus Annandale 1915 (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Assam and West Bengal, Eastern India. Hamadryad 25: 215-217. pdf (285 KB; scanned low-resolution copy)

Abstract:

Biswas, S., S. Rawat & R. Balakrishnan (2001) Song and Morphological characteristics of a group of syntopic tree cricket species of the Genus Oecanthus from southern India. Presented by the third author at the International Conference on Orthopteroid Insects – 8^th Meeting of the Orthopterist’s Society, Montpellier, France, August 19-22, 2001

Memberships:

American Society of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists (ASIH); Herpetologist’s League (HL); Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT); Sigma Xi; Society for the Study of Amphibians & Reptiles (SSAR); Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB)