Yash Sondhi

Presentation by Yash Sondhi: Visual gene evolution and phototaxis in butterflies and moths.

Bio: Yash Sondhi is a postdoctoral researcher working in the Kawahara Lab in the Florida museum of Natural history.

He did is bachelor’s at IISER Tvm working with Kallika Prasad and finished his masters thesis on butterfly foraging with Krushnamegh Kunte.

He did his PhD at Florida international University in Miami with Dr.Jamie Theobald, studying how moths and butterflies see the world, and specifically how moth eyes and brains adapted to function so well under dim light.

He uses multiple techniques (genetics, animal behavior, neuroscience) to examine how different day and night flying insects’ senses (sight, hearing, smell) have evolved. As human civilization develops, artificial light is slowly eroding dark skies with disastrous consequences for animals, plants, and humans. As awareness increases that light pollution is harmful, understanding how different mitigation strategies work is crucial to implement change. Yash is thus studying how light can disorient and alter the circadian activity of insects, and testing strategies to mitigate light pollution. He also helps with citizen science and insect biodiversity monitoring in India.