Team
Afreen Hussain
Dr. Afreen Hussain is a coral ecologist focused on understanding the impacts of climate change and human-induced stressors on India’s vulnerable coral reefs while unravelling their resilience mechanisms. She holds a PhD in Marine Sciences, with her research spanning diverse reef ecosystems, including the Malvan Marine Sanctuary and Goa on the central west coast, Palk Bay in southern India, and the artificial reefs of Pondicherry.
Beyond research, Dr. Hussain actively collaborates with local communities and stakeholders, promoting sustainable eco-tourism and responsible fisheries practices. With over eight years of experience, she is committed to developing innovative conservation and mitigation strategies to safeguard marine ecosystems. Passionate about science-driven conservation, she strongly believes in taking science to society and integrating local communities into marine protection efforts, ensuring long-term ecological sustainability.
Karan Deshpande
Karan is a marine biologist with research interests that explore interactions between developmental activities and the functional ecology of coral reef habitats along urban coastal areas. He has worked, alongside other colleagues, on research and conservation projects involving coral reef ecology, marine protected areas, elasmobranchs and illegal marine wildlife trafficking. He also routinely contributes to research and capacity development activities of the Counter Wildlife Trafficking Programme.
He completed his Master’s in Zoology from K.J. Somaiya College, Mumbai University; and currently leads the Coral Reef Project of the Marine Programme.
Nivetha Janani
Nivetha is a marine biologist with a profound research interest in marine ecology, heat-resilient zooxanthellae, and coral reef conservation. Holding a postgraduate degree in Marine Biotechnology, she has extensive experience in coral translocation, SCUBA-assisted ecological monitoring, and field research on coral resilience. As a certified Divemaster, she integrates scientific inquiry with hands-on underwater conservation efforts. At WCS-India, Nivetha will be a Project Associate with the Coral Reefs project, actively contributing to strategic coral reef conservation initiatives.