Rajeev Raghavan Explained

Rajeev Raghavan
Birth Place:	Kerala State, Kochi, India
Occupation:	Assistant Professor, Fisheries Scientist
Known For:	Freshwater Fish Conservation, Fish Systematics
Boards:	Mahseer Trust, SHOAL Conservation, Freshwater Life, Fisheries Conservation Foundation
Awards:	FSBI MEDAL 2023 https://fsbi.org.uk/about/medals/
Website:	http://www.fishlab.in
Alma Mater:	St. Albert's College, University of Madras, Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology, University of Kent
Discipline:	Conservation Biology, Fisheries science
Sub Discipline:	Freshwater Fish Conservation, Fish Systematics, Molecular ecology, Inland Fisheries
Workplaces:	Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies International Union for Conservation of Nature

Rajeev Raghavan is a fisheries scientist and aquatic conservation biologist known for his work on the freshwater fishes of the Indian subcontinent.^[1] Rajeev is currently an Assistant Professor at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, India, the South Asia Chair of the IUCN’s Freshwater Fish Specialist Group.,^{[2] [3]} and the IUCN Freshwater Fish Red List Authority Coordinator for Asia and Oceania.

Rajeev has to his credit more than 200 publications ^[4] and has been listed in the Elsevier/Scopus Top 2% Scientists of the World for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 ^[5]

In honour of Rajeev's research contributions to Indian ichthyology, two fish species have been named after him - a snakehead from the northern Western Ghats, Channa rara,^[6] and a hill-stream loach Indoreonectes rajeevi.^[7]

Research

Since 2003, Rajeev has been involved in interdisciplinary research that generates information to support conservation decision making in tropical aquatic ecosystems, particularly in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot.^[8] His work cuts across multiple disciplines from systematics, to molecular ecology and biogeography, freshwater fisheries and conservation policies. His research group^[9] is globally recognized for advancing the knowledge-base on understanding the diversity of freshwater fishes on the Indian subcontinent, resulting in the discovery and description of 21 new species (including three new genera and two new families).^{[10] [11] [12]} Working with collaborators, he has also contributed to solving long-standing taxonomic and nomenclatural issues in Indian fish taxonomy.^{[13] [14]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: An interview with Rajeev Raghavan – SHOAL Conservation. 23 Oct 2022.
2. Web site: IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Group. 18 Aug 2017.
3. Web site: Professors to study freshwater conservation - Eastern Mirror. 26 Aug 2017.
4. Web site: Rajeev Raghavan. 23 Oct 2022.
5. Web site: Kufos faculty member named among world’s top scientists. 15 Oct 2023.
6. Web site: Channa rara, a new species of snakehead fish from the Western Ghats region of Maharashtra, India (Teleostei: Labyrinthici: Channidae). 23 Oct 2022.
7. Web site: Two new species of the hillstream loach genus Indoreonectes from the northern Western Ghats of India (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae). 23 Oct 2022.
8. Web site: An interview with Rajeev Raghavan – SHOAL Conservation. 23 Oct 2022.
9. Web site: Rajeev Research Group at KUFOS. 23 Oct 2022.
10. Web site: World's largest cave fish discovered in India. https://web.archive.org/web/20210228223402/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/worlds-largest-cave-fish-found-in-india. dead. February 28, 2021. . 23 Oct 2022.
11. Web site: New freshwater fish species discovered from Western Ghats. 23 Oct 2022.
12. Web site: Three new species of fishes found in Western Ghats. . 23 Oct 2022.
13. Web site: After 150 years, a fish gets a scientific name. . 23 Oct 2022.
14. Unraveling a 146 Years Old Taxonomic Puzzle: Validation of Malabar Snakehead, Species-Status and Its Relevance for Channid Systematics and Evolution. 10.1371/journal.pone.0021272. 21731689. 3123301. 6. 6. PLOS ONE. e21272. Benziger. Allen. 2011. 2011PLoSO...621272B. free.