Animal Cognition

Dr. Shampa M. Ghosh is an evolutionary biologist and her research focus is experimental evolution and evolutionary developmental biology. She uses fruit flies for her research, and built up the first Drosophila research laboratory of Bhubaneswar at KIIT. She did her PhD in Evolutionary and Organsimal Biology from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bangalore India (with Prof. Amitabh Joshi), and worked as a postdoctoral scientist at Michigan State University USA (with Prof. Alexander Shingleton) focusing on development, genetics, and plasticity. She has been a visiting faculty at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER, Jatni, Odisha) from 2016 to 2018. Dr. Ghosh has also worked briefly for Bionivid Technology Pvt. Limited. She worked as a DST Women Scientist A at KIIT focusing on experimental evolution from 2017 to 2020. Her current research focuses on plasticity and evolution in Drosophila. Dr. Jitendra Kumar Sinha, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer at GloNeuro Academy, Noida and Neuroscience Visiting Faculty at Jiwaji University, Gwalior, India. His research interests include the neurobiology of aging and obesity, nutritional neuroscience, anti-aging paradigms and neuropharmacology. He has over 16 years experience in research and education, including high level course development and mentorship. He has a long-standing interest in animal models of aging and epilepsy, with focus on oxidative protein damage, DNA damage, and aging biomarkers, and notably established the heaviest rodent model for studying molecular mechanism of enhanced aging. Dr. Sinha has authored over 70 publications in several leading journals on aging, epilepsy, obesity, sleep, and spinal cord injury. He has served as guest editor, referee, or member of the editorial board for over 25 journals and received various prestigious awards from Government of India, International Brain Research Organization, International Society for Neurochemistry, among others.Dr. Niraj Kumar Jha is an assistant professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Sharda University, Greater Noida, India, and a member of the Royal Society of Biology, London. Previously, he served as an assistant professor at the Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology, affiliated with Abdul Kalam Technical University. He holds an MSc in Biotechnology from Vellore Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Delhi Technological University, supported by a research fellowship from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. A prolific author, Dr. Jha has published over 150 scholarly works and presented his research at international conferences. He currently serves as an associate editor for IET Nanobiotechnology and guest editor for several high-impact journals. His research interests focus on the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative, cancer, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as the therapeutic roles of small molecules from natural or synthetic sources.Dr. Rakesh Bhaskar is an Assistant Professor at Yeungnam University, South Korea. He holds a Ph.D. in Neuroendocrinology from Allahabad University, India, and has extensive research experience in aging biology, regenerative medicine, and cognitive neurosciences. His work explores molecular mechanisms underlying cellular senescence, stem cell-based therapies, and tissue engineering approaches for age-associated conditions. Dr. Bhaskar has published over 80 scientific articles in high-impact journals, holds two patents, and has contributed to multiple book chapters. He also serves as a reviewer for leading international journals. His research focuses on developing innovative biomaterials and therapeutic interventions to enhance healthspan and combat age-related degenerative diseases.

• Section 1: Foundations of Animal Cognition1. Introduction to Cognitive Processes in Animals2. Evolution of CognitionSection 2: Cognitive Mechanisms in Animal Models3. Mammalian Cognition4. Avian Intelligence: From Problem-Solving to Social Dynamics5. Cognitive Studies in Marine Animals6. Cognition in Reptiles and Amphibians7. Cognitive Insights from InsectsSection 3: Advanced Topics and Therapeutics8. Therapeutic Applications of Cognitive Research in Animals9. Emerging Technologies in Cognitive Studies10. Research Gaps and Future Perspectives