Education/Professional Preperation 1993- 1996 Benjamin Cardozo High School, Queens, New York
1996 - 2000 McGill University, B.Sc. (with Great Distinction) in Applied Zoology, Montreal, Quebec
2001 - May 22,2006 University of Michigan, Ph.D., Ann Arbor, Michigan
2006 - 2008 Postdoctoral Fellow in Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History
2008 - Assistant Professor/Curator of Ichthyology, LSU
PublicationsStiassny
M.L.J., Chakrabarty, P., Loiselle. P. (2001) Relationships of the
Madagascan cichlid genus
Paretroplus, with a description of a new
species from the Betsiboka River drainage of northwestern Madagascar.
Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters 12 (1): 29- 40.
Chakrabarty, P. (2004)
Cichlid biogeography: comment and review. Fish and Fisheries 5(2):97-119.
Chakrabarty, P. (2004) Abstract:
Relationships and biogeography of Antillean Cichlids. In: Stevenson, D. W., Abstracts of the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Willi Hennig Society.
Cladistics 20 (2004): 76-100.
Chakrabarty, P. (2005)
Testing conjectures about morphological diversity in cichlids of Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika. Copeia 2005 (2): 359-373.
Pikitch, E.K., Doukakis, P., Lauck, L., Chakrabarty, P. , Erickson, D.L. (2005)
Sturgeon and paddlefish fisheries of the world: conservation strategies for the future. Fish and Fisheries 6 (3), 233-265.
Chakrabarty, P., Ng, H.H. (2005)
The identity of the catfishes identified as Mystus cavasius (Hamilton, 1822) (Teleostei: Bagridae), with a description of a new species from Myanmar. Zootaxa 1093, 1-24.
Chakrabarty, P. (2006) Taxonomic status of the Hispaniolan Cichlidae
Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 737, 1-16.
Chakrabarty, P. (2006)
Systematics and Historical Biogeography of Greater Antillean Cichlidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39, 619-627.
Chakrabarty, P., Oldfield, R.G., Ng, H.H. (2006)
Nandus prolixus, a new species of leaf fish from northeatern Borneo (Teleostei:Perciformes:Nandidae).
Zootaxa 1328, 51-61.
Chakrabarty, P. (2007) [Review of] An Atlas of Michigan
Fishes with keys and illustrations for their identification. Bailey, R.M.,
Latta, W.C., Smith, G.R.
Copeia 2007
(1): 238-239.
Chakrabarty, P. (2007) A morphological phylogenetic analysis of
Middle American cichlids with special emphasis on the section
"Nandopsis" sensu Regan.
Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 198: 1 - 31.
Chakrabarty, P., Sparks, J.S. (2007) Relationships of the New World cichlid genus
Hypsophrys Agassiz 1859 (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with diagnoses for the genus and its species.
Zootaxa, 1523, 59-64.
Sparks, J.S., Chakrabarty, P. (2007) A new species of ponyfish (Teleostei:Leiognathidae:
Photoplagios) from the Philippines.
Copeia 2007 (3): 622-629.
Chakrabarty, P., Sparks, J.S. (2007) Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of
Nuchequula Whitley 1932 (Teleostei: Leiognathidae), with the description of a new species.
American Museum Novitates 3588:1-28.
Chakrabarty, P., Sparks, J.S. (2008) Diagnoses for
Leiognathus Lacepede 1802,
Equula Cuvier 1815,
Equulites Fowler 1904,
Eubleekeria Fowler 1904, and a new ponyfish genus (Teleostei: Leiognathidae).
American Museum Novitates 3623, 1-11.
Smith, W.L., Chakrabarty, P., Sparks, J.S. (2008) Phylogeny, taxonomy, and evolution of Neotropical cichlids (Teleostei:Cichlidae:Cichlinae).
Cladistics 24, 1-17.
Web ArticlesChakrabarty, P. (2003)
Huso huso. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web.
Chakrabarty, P. (2007) The fangtooth:
Anoplogaster cornuta. Digital Fish Library, http://www.digitalfishlibrary.org
Popular Articles
Chakrabarty, P.
(2006) The Greater Antillean Cichlids. Buntbarsche Bulletin 234, 18-22.
Chakrabarty, P. (2005)
Papa's Fish: A Note on Neomerinthe hemingwayi. The Hemingway Review. p. 109-111.
Chakrabarty,
P. (2004) Museum of Zoology: No specimen left behind. University of
Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History. The Display Case 17 (2)
2-3.
Chakrabarty, P. (1999) Downtown campus? What Downtown
Campus? The Afterthought: MacDonald Campus, McGill University. January
1999, p.1,4.
Chakrabarty, P. (1999) So you think you know about
evolution? The Afterthought: MacDonald Campus, McGill University.
January 1999, p. 10-11.
Chakrabarty, P. (1999) This stage of man. The Afterthought: MacDonald Campus, McGill University. March 1999, p.16.
Chakrabarty,
P. (1998) The tragic life of Alfred Russell Wallace, The Afterthought:
MacDonald Campus, McGill University. March 1998, p.5.
Field WorkWinter 2004, January 4-14,
Dominican Republic.
I
collected freshwater and marine spp. from 10 localities for
morphological and molecular analyses. The purpose of this trip was to
collect individuals of the two endemic nominal species of cichlids and
discover if they are valid taxa. One of these,
N.vombergae, has not
been collected in more than 60 years. Sites visited include the
respective type localities of these two cichlids. Specimens collected
were used in molecular and morphological analyses testing the validity
of these species and in tests of biogeographic hypotheses.
Winter
2005, November 4-14,
Yucatan Peninsula.
I collected freshwater and
brackish water fish from Mexico and Belize with Ronald Oldfield (UMMZ)
and colleagues based in those two countries (Juan Jacobo Schmitter-Soto
and Peter Esselman respectively). The purpose of this trip was to
collect cichlids for my thesis research on the phylogeny of Middle
American Cichlidae and to help with the survey work of our colleagues.
Cichlids species collected include:
Thorichthys meeki, T. pasionis, Cichlasoma octofasciatus, C. robertsoni and
Petenia splendida. Non-cichlids collected include:
Belonesox belizanus, Astyanax aeneus, Gobiomoris dormitor, Hyphessobrycon compressus and
Awaous banana.
Spring
2006, March 16-26,
Taiwan.
Dr. John Sparks and I collected from 20 sites
including on a trawler, from bycatch stands, and at markets. Organized
by Dr. Hin-Kiu Mok and through the American Museum of Natural History.
We collected nearly 1000 specimens and over a hundred species. Some of
these include Leiognathids, lantern-belly sharks
Etmopterus, Polymixia japonicus, Harpanadon and many other species.
Winter 2007, January 9-22,
Malay Peninsula.
Dr. John Sparks and I collected from more than a dozen localities including Phuket Island on the Andaman Sea, Chonburi, and Bangkok, (Thailand); Melaka, and Muar (Malaysia), as well as various parts of Singapore. We collected over 1000 specimens including several new species of Leiognathids. Non-ponyfish collected include nursery fish (
Kurtus), wolf herring (
Chirocentrus), and kissing gourami (
Helostoma) among many others. We collected with Dr. Somsak Panha, Dr. Thosaporn Wongratana and Dr. Heok Hee Ng and others during this trip.
Spring 2007, March 21-March 29,
Taiwan.
Collected from several deep sea ports and markets with Hans Ho and the students of Dr. Hin-Kiu Mok. Also set up imaging base for recording live ponyfish.
Spring 2007, March 30- April 9,
Sri Lanka.
Collected from over 20 sites on the western and southern Coasts of Sri Lanka, with lots of support from Thasun Amarasinghe and Rohan Pethiyagoda. The northern-most point visited was Puttalam, the southern-most point Matara and the eastern-most was Habantota. More than a dozen rare ponyfish species were collected as were many other marine and brackish water fishes.
Fall 2007, September 20- October 10,
Indonesia.
Visited from various sites on the island archipelago, including Java and Bali. Traveling with Daniel Lumbantobing (George Washington University/Smithsonian) and Renny Hadiaty (LIPI-Indonesian Institute of Science). Notable collections included
Psettodes erumei and several rare collections of ponyfishes including the first record of
Photoplagios laterofenesta in nearly 30 years.
Summer 2008, May 31 - June 26,
Madagascar.
Targeted the blind cave fishes in Ankarana and the Mahafaly Pleateu and collected several species of
Typhleotris and
Glossogobius including some that are new to science and others that have not been collected in decades. Visited over ten caves and sinkholes with Phil Willink (Field Museum), John Sparks (AMNH) and Scott Holtz (AMNH).
Professional Societies ASIH - American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, since 1999
SSB - Society of Systematic Biologists, since 2001
WHS - Willi Hennig Society, since 2003
SSE - Society for the Study of Evolution, since 2003
Contributed and Invited Talks at Conferences Stiassny, M.L.J., Chakrabarty, P.*, Loiselle, P.V. 2000. Relationships of the Madagascan cichlid genus
Paretroplus
Bleeker 1868, with a description of a new species from the Betsiboka
River drainage on northwestern Madagascar. Annual Meeting of the
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, La Paz, Mexico
(14 - 20 June 2000).
Lauck, E.W.*, Pikitch, E.K.,
Chakrabarty, P. 2001. A policy and consumer strategy for sturgeon
conservation. Society for Conservation Biology 15th Annual Meeting
Hilo, Hawaii, (29 July - August 1, 2001)
Chakrabarty, P.*
2002. Testing convergence of body shapes and diet in rift lake
cichlids. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and
Herpetologists, Kansas City, Missouri (3 - 8 July 2002).
Chakrabarty,
P.* 2003. Relationships of Antillean cichlids and biogeographic
consequences. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists
and Herpetologists, Manaus, Brazil (26 June - 1 July 2003).
Chakrabarty,
P.* 2003. Relationships and Biogeography of Antillean Cichlids. Willi
Hennig Society; Hennig XXII (20 - 24 July 2003).
Chakrabarty,
P.* 2004. Systematics and historical biogeography of the Neotropical
cichlid genus Nandopsis. Annual Meeting of the American Society of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Norman, Oklahoma (26 May - 31 May
2004).
Chakrabarty, P.* 2005. Systematics and historical
biogeography of the Greater Antillean cichlids. Congress on Caribbean
Biodiversity V, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (25-28 January 2005)
Chakrabarty,
P.** 2005. Quantifying morphological diversity to test hypotheses about
Tanganyika and Malawi cichlids, Evolution 2005, Fairbanks, Alaska.
(10-14 June 2005).
Chakrabarty, P.* 2005. Systematics and historical biogeography of Middle American
and Greater Antillean Cichlidae, Evolution 2005, Fairbanks, Alaska. (10-14 June 2005).
Chakrabarty,
P.* 2006. Deconstructing "Cichlasoma" Phylogenetic Analyses of Middle
American cichlids, American Society of Ichthyologists
and Herpetologists, New Orleans (12 July - 17 July 2006).
Chakrabarty, P.*, Smith, W.L., Sparks, J.S. 2007 Phylogenetic relationships of ponyfishes (Teleostei: Leiognathidae) with a discussion of the evolution of their light organ system. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri. (11 July - 16 July 2007).
Chakrabarty, P.*, Sparks, J.S. 2008. The influence of sexual selection in the diversification of Leiognathidae. Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 28 July 2008.
Chakrabarty, P.*, Smith, W.L., Sparks, J.S. 2008. Testing the Role of Sexual Selection in the
Evolution of Ponyfishes. Hennig XXVII - A summit of Cladistics. Willi Hennig Society, Tucuman, Argentina, 29 October, 2008.
* Presenter ** Poster
Non-Conference Presentations
Chakrabarty, P.* 2008. Pattern and Process in the Diversification of Fishes: Sexual Selection in Leiognathids and Biogeography of Neotropical Cichlids. Short-list job talk, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. 12 March 2008.
Chakrabarty, P.* 2008. Pattern and Process in Marine and Freshwater Diversifications: Sexual Selection in Leiognathids and Biogeography of Neotropical Cichlids. Systematics Seminar Series, American Museum of Natural History, New York. 11 April 2008.
Chakrabarty, P.* 2008. Pattern and Process in Marine and Freshwater Diversifications: Sexual Selection in Leiognathids and Biogeography of Neotropical Cichlids. Short-list job talk, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. 18 April 2008.
Chakrabarty, P.* 2008. A Protocol for the Study and Sampling of DNA in Fishes: From the lab to the field. Ad hoc talk to Department of Ichthyology, May 10, 2008.
Chu, J., Nahar, L., Sparks, J.S., Chakrabarty, P. ** 2008. Taxonomic status of
Photoplagios leuciscus Gunther 1860 (Teleostei:Leiognathidae). High School Science Reearch Progam, Poster Session. May 24, 2008.
Chu, J. **, Nahar, L. **, Sparks, J.S., Chakrabarty, P. 2008. Taxonomic status of
Photoplagios leuciscus Gunther 1860 (Teleostei:Leiognathidae). Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 25 July 2008.
2007 "On homology: A primer on comparative anatomy of the vertebrates" Guest lecture to Columbia University Ichthyology Class, American Museum of Natural History. 5 December 2007.
2006 "Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of Greater Antillean and Middle American Cichlidae" + "Chalk Talk"; Short-list job talks, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
2006 "Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of Greater Antillean and Middle
American Cichlidae" Ph.D. Defense at the University of Michigan
2004-2005 "Preparing for the First Week of Classes" to first time Graduate
Student Instructors in biology at the University of Michigan
2004 "Systematics and Historical Biogeography of the Greater Antillean
Cichlids" to the Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of
Michigan
2004 "Dominican Republic Collecting Trip and Future Research" to Fish Division, UMMZ
2003- 2005 "Balancing Teaching and Research" to first time Graduate Student Instructors in biology at the University of Michigan
2003 "Relationships and Biogeography of Antillean Cichlids" to the Ann Arbor Aquarium Association at the University of Michigan
2003 "Comparison of the Morphological Diversity of Cenozoic to Paleozoic
Elasmobranch Taxa" to Ichthyology Class of Dr. Bill Fink, University of
Michigan
2003 "Testing Past Conjectures Regarding the
Morphological Diversity of Rift Lake Cichlids" to the Department of
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology for Preliminary Exam for partial
fulfillment of candidacy
2003 "Candiru Attack on A Human in the
Amazon River: Hard evidence for a long standing myth" written by Paulo
Petry with illustrations by Ray Troll presented to four Parasitology
lab sections of Dr. Barry O'Conner, University of Michigan
2002 "Testing Past Conjectures Regarding the Morphological Diversity of Malawi and Tanganyika Cichlids" to Fish Division, UMMZ
2002 "Mechanisms of Shape Convergence in Rift Lake Cichlids" American Museum of Natural History, Department of Ichthyology
2001 "Using the Best Tools for the Question; the Phylogenetic Consequences
of Saturation "for Molecular Evolution Class of Dr. Pricilla Tucker,
University of Michigan
2001 "Disparity of Malawi Cichlids" to Morphometrics Class of Dr. Miriam Zelditch, UMMZ
2001 "WCS Sturgeon/Caviar Campaign" to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Marine Program at the Bronx Zoo
2001 "Caviar Emptor" to the Wildlife Conservation Society Marine Program at the Bronx Zoo
2001 "Sturgeon and Paddelfish, Ancient Lineage at Risk of Extinction" to the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo
2000 "Carboniferous Rhizodont Cranial Fossils; from Horton Bluff" to Vertebrate Paleontology Class of Dr. Robert Carroll
2000 "Saving the St. Lawrence Beluga" presented with Nahanni Fry to the Conservation Biology Class at McGill University
2000 "Mechanisms in Cichlid Evolution" to Research class at McGill University of Dr. David Lewis
2000 "Description of a new cichlid from Madagascar and the synonymy of two
basal genera" to Research class at McGill University of Dr. David Lewis
1999 "Description of a new Malagasy species of the basal genus
Paretroplus and the synonymy of the genus
Lamena with
Paretroplus" to the American Museum of Natural History, Research Experience for Undergraduates Symposium
1999 "Facultative Metamorphosis; Evolution and Maintenance"; McGill University, Herpetology class of Dr. David Green
Profiles/Media2001 McGill University Guide 2000-2001. Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences p. 20.
2006 University of Michigan, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Newsletter, Natural Selections, Graduate Profile 3 (1) p. 4.
2006
Clarke, M.
New Nandus species described. Practical Fishkeeping.
2007 Ng, H.H.
Central American cichlids renamed. Practical Fishkeeping.
Awards & Honors
1999 McGill University Macdonald Campus Gold Key Award for outstanding contributions to extra curricular activities
2000
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Award - for extra curricular activity and academic record
2000 Valedictorian Class of 2000, of the Macdonald Campus of McGill University
2005
University of Michigan Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award , (Highest honor given to GSIs under the auspices of the University of Michigan)
2006
Carl and Laura Hubbs Fellow, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
Grants and Fellowship1997 Jean Brown Scholarship $ 500, for outstanding contributions to extra curricular activities
1998 - 2000 Quebec Bursary for Undergraduates, covered all tuition costs for undergraduate degree
2000 Canadian Millennium Scholarship for high academic standing, reduced and deferred student loan
2001-
2003 FCAR - Fonds de la recherche en sante du Quebec. Scholarship for
graduate studies from Quebec, totaling $ 5,000 Canadian per school
semester. $25,000 total.
2002 EEB Block Grant, for $ 900 towards research needs
2002 Rackham Travel Grant, $ 400 for travel to ASIH 2002
2002 EEB Travel Grant, for the amount of $ 100 for presenting at ASIH 2002
2003 EEB Block Grant, for the amount of $ 100 towards research needs
2003 Rackham Travel Grant, $ 900 for travel to ASIH 2003
2003 EEB Travel Grant, for the amount of $ 100 for presenting at Hennig XXII
2003 Rackham Discretionary Fund, for $ 1250 for research equipment
2004 Rackham Travel Grant, $ 400 for travel to ASIH 2004
2004 Museum of Zoology Hinsdale Scholarship Award $ 2,247 for research
2004 EEB Block Grant/Okkelberg Award $1,257 for research
2005 Rackham Discretionary Fund, $ 1100 for research
2005 Rackham Travel Grant, $ 700 for travel to the Dominican Republic
2005 UMMZ Fish Division Grant, $ 1200 for research and travel
2005 Peter Okkelberg Award, $1410 for research
2005 Museum of Zoology Hinsdale Scholarship Award $1,694
2005-2006 Carl and Laura Hubbs Fellow, pays entire graduate stipend
2006 Donald W. Tinkle Scholarship, $3,500 award
2007- NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, American Museum of Natural History (on John Sparks's Leiognathidae project)
2008 Lerner Gray Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Stipend + $8000 research expenses for two years. Not taken in lieu of LSU position.
Selected Synergistic Activities/Peer Review Contributions
High School Science Research Program (HSSRP) Mentor. Training two students working in the Department of Ichthyology, AMNH. Winter/Spring 2008
Mentor in Morphometics, trained two New York City students in the High School Science Research Program (HSSRP) at the American Museum of Natural History to do both traditional and geometric morphometics, Summer 2007.
Mentor in Molecular Science, training a postdoctoral fellow and a visiting Indonesian scientist in extracting, amplifying and sequencing DNA in the Molecular Systematics Lab at the American Museum of Natural History, 2007
Graduate
Student Teaching Assistant for Evolution and the Nature of Science, 6
two hour undergraduate workshops for the University of Michigan
Evolution Theme Semester, January - March 2006
Outside reviewer, for submissions to
Copeia (8X),
American Museum Novitates, Cladistics, Journal of Fish Biology (3X),
Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, Environmental Biology of Fishes (2X),
Zootaxa (3X),
Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research(2X), 2007 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grants
Recruiter
for the University of Michigan and Undergraduate Poster Judge at SACNAS
(Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science)
in Austin, Texas. October 21-24 2004
Recruiter for the
University of Michigan, as a representative for The College of
Literature, Science, and the Arts at HBCU-UP (Historically Black
Colleges & Universities - Undergraduate Program) National Research
Conference New Orleans, Louisiana. February 10 - 13, 2005
Scientific Workshops/Symposia Attended
Spring
2003 Systematics at a Crossroads Again: Biological and Philosophical
Arguments in Contemporary Phylogenetics, A. Watson Armour III Spring
Symposium, Field Museum, Chicago, May 10
Spring 2005 Theory and Practice of Direct Optimization using POY, American Museum of Natural History, May 16-18
Winter
2005 Workshop on Problems of Phylogenetic Analysis of Large Datasets,
Mathematical Biosciences Institute, Ohio State University, December 1-2
Winter 2005 OSU Phylogenetics Symposium and Workshop, Ohio State University, Museum of Biological Diversity, December 3-4
2000-2004, 2006 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)
2005 Evolution, Fairbanks, Alaska
2005 Congress on Caribbean Biodiversity V, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 25-28 January 2005
Teaching Workshops AttendedFall 2003 Learning the Sciences: Moving active learning from the lab to the lecture
by Dr. Chris O'Neal, Instructional Consultant, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), University of Michigan
Winter 2004 Graduate Student Mentor (GSM) Training Seminar
by Dr. Chris O'Neal, Instructional Consultant, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), University of Michigan
Selected Committees2005 - 2006 President of Graduate Researchers in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
GREEBs
2004 - 2005 University of Michigan, Admissions Committee
2004 - 2005 Graduate Student Representative to the UMMZ Curator's Meetings.
2003 - 2004 University of Michigan, EEB Diversity Committee, to advance the profile of women and minority job candidates and to arrange workshops
dealing with "Work/Life Balance", "Career Options", and "Obtaining
postdoctoral and other professional positions in ecology and
evolutionary biology"
Winter 2000 McGill University, MacDonald Campus Student Society (MCSS) President
1996 - 2000 McGill University, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Society (AESUS) President
