Shilpa Rajkumar

Shilpa Rajkumar is a PhD student at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong which is located some 80 kilometres south of Sydney, Australia. Shilpa's PhD topic is based on the interactions between pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) and commercial fisheries around the world, the policy implications and responses of marine wildlife and fisheries conflicts.

Shilpa has completed a Bachelors degrees in Science and holds a Masters (Honors) in Environmental Science both from the University of Wollongong (Wollongong is a port city about 80 km south of Sydney, Australia).) Her research interests include interactions between science, law and environmental policy, and the evolution of policy responses regarding marine wildlife and fisheries interactions around the world.

Besides a love of science-legal-policy interface research, Shilpa's other true loves in life include observing and learning about wildlife and nature, as well as taking photos of the things she finds fascinating, listening to music (Western and Indian classical, Jazz- instrumental and vocal, Indie pop, rock, electronica, and too many other genres to list here!), art, poetry, drama, literature, reading blogs (science blogs are a special favorite), films, nature walking, sleeping in, spending time with her family and family of friends who are more like soul-mates, and...cats. Shilpa especially adores cats and her feline overlord, Miss Kajal, knows this well!

Shilpa was born in the hustling and bustling city of Hyderabad in India, but is now a citizen of Australia having been transplanted there as a child. Growing up in the disparate cultures of India and Australia has led to Shilpa developing an ever-deepening appreciation of both, the wisdom and the follies, to be found in all cultures of this world!