Dr. Aswini Pai (left) in Malaysia with students

Aswini Pai

Assistant Professor, Biology Department

Office: 122 Bewkes Hall

Email: apai@stlawu.edu

Phone: 229-5810

Education

• B.Sc. 1991 Zoology (Botany, Chemistry as Subsidiaries). Mahatma Gandhi University, India.
• M.Sc. 1993 Wildlife Biology. Wildlife Institute of India, India.
• Ph.D. 2004 Department of Environment and Plant Biology. Ohio University, USA.

Courses

• General Biology; Tropical Ecology; Ethnobotony; Forest Ecology of South and Southeast Asia

Research Interest

• My research interests in ethnobotony utilize principles and techniques from population biology, life history theory, conservation biology and natural resource management. I am interested in the ecology of economically important plant species both in the wild and in agroecosystems. I am also interested in how humans, through harvest and management, influence populations and communities of these species. Much of my research has been on non-timber forest products such as medicinal herbs, bark, fruits, flowers, and seeds. Another focal area of my research is how ‘indigenous’ groups of people maintain biodiversity on agroecosystems.