Through a grant from the FYSSEN foundation, I am doing my research as an invited researcher at the ISEM. My research mainly focuses on the early stages during which the brains of cetaceans are beginning to differentiate as well as to understand the brain features of their closest extinct sister group, the Raoellidae. The later are at the center of the transition between the terrestrial and aquatic environments and are documented via the analysis of material from the Subathu formation, Rajouri District, India. Other than this, an X-ray microtomography study gives us the ability to practically access the internal structures of the skull as well as the external morphology of the brain. This will provide critical data regarding the morphology and morphological variety of the raoellid brain, including accurate surface area and volume measurements. It will also reveal new insights into the early stages of the development of the cetacean brain as well as the reconstruction of the cetacean ancestor’s brain.

In a broader sense, my research focuses on the mammalian fauna of northwest India during the Eocene period, with the majority of my fieldwork taking place in the Kalakot and its surrounding areas of the Himalaya region.