On October 9th, WINGS will induct five new Fellows during our 2025 Women of Discovery Awards Gala in New York City. In a special Q&A series, we are sharing a little bit about each honoree. Dr. Divya Karnad is an Indian marine conservationist and associate professor at Ashoka University, dedicated to sustainable seafood, fisheries management and marine biodiversity protection.
WINGS: Tell us your story. How did you get involved in science and your field specifically?
DR. DIVYA KARNAD: I always knew that I wanted to work with animals. I started out thinking that I wanted to be a veterinarian, but growing up along the coast of India, I was always drawn to the sea. The fishing boats and particularly the fisherwomen became an important part of my world. In a city, where, if you weren’t studying to be an engineer or doctor, you were looked down upon, I became infamous in school for not wanting to pursue either. Instead, I took up a Bachelor’s in Zoology, with no particular plan for how this would lead me towards working with animals until a serendipitous comment from a professor led me to volunteer with the non-profit called Student’s Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN).
Since 1988, SSTCN has been conducting turtle walks during the sea turtle nesting season from January to April to collect and hatch Olive Ridley eggs before safely releasing them into the sea. Until then I had only seen wildlife in documentaries, and I used to think about it in terms of tigers and forests. Suddenly I realized that there was wildlife right here in my backyard. I started to look closely at life in the sea. I was always a good swimmer and working with marine wildlife and fisheries seemed like the best of both worlds. This led me to a Master’s Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation (hosted at the National Centre for Biological Sciences) where I conducted a six-month long study of sea turtles on a remote beach on the east coast of India.
It was during this study that a scary encounter with angry fishermen made me realize the role of fishing communities in protecting or threatening marine life. This pivotal moment made me re-think my approach to conservation because I realized that people were not the enemy. I felt I needed to look not just at these particular species which are threatened or endangered but also at the larger system within which they operate including the fisheries, and so on. Since then, I have worked with fisheries, fishing communities, seafood eaters and how they interact with threatened marine species. All of this culminated in my co-founding a sustainable seafood initiative called InSeason Fish (www.inseasonfish.com).
WINGS: What is something you would like people to understand about your work?
DR. DIVYA KARNAD: I think the disconnect between people and the sea is the greatest threat to the oceans today. Many people don’t understand this. From our climate to seafood, all humans are dependent on the ocean, but very few of us actually see these connections or realize our role in maintaining these global oceanic functions. For me the connection through food is the most tangible! For most coastal people seafood is a necessity, not a luxury. So if the way that we procure seafood is terribly destructive, what will this mean for the future of food on the coast, as well as the future of the ocean? Some people believe it is up to scientists and conservationists to figure out the answers to these questions, but my work has increasingly shown that the answers can only be found if many different types of people come together.
People throughout the seafood supply chain have to understand the ecological realities of the seafood we put on our plates, to ensure that fisheries become sustainable. So, whether you are a chef, an accountant, a teacher or a stockbroker, you will need to create some mind space to think about the ocean, because it is what keeps our world habitable.
WINGS: What are the greatest barriers to more women working in science?
DR. DIVYA KARNAD: The way that science is setup is often one of the greatest barriers to more women working in science. Biology often dictates that we (females, but also all genders) need to cooperate and work together to get things done. Whether dealing with issues of safety, illness or childcare women often rely on teamwork, whereas science (in its academic form) is setup to reward individual effort. Rewarding individual work in science is a fallacy, irrespective of gender.
For instance, women such as Dr. Katherine Gibson and Dr. Julie Graham setup long-term career partnerships to conduct research and publish together. Their path-breaking work could not be accommodated in its original form, so they created a pseudonym than mashed their names together, so that they could be given equal credit in scientific publications. While this is an amazing and creative work-around, I think these ways of working need to be made standard. I believe science needs to be more open to diverse ways of working including equal partnerships, teamwork and more. This will automatically attract more women, who may find it easier to work in groups and balance varies aspects of their lives, rather than having to single-mindedly dedicate their life to science in order to succeed (by today’s standards).
WINGS: What gets you up in the morning?
DR. DIVYA KARNAD: I get my inspiration, first and foremost from the ocean. The sound of the waves, the smell of the salty air, the cool water – it is what dreams (and peace) are made of! Increasingly, I am inspired by the people I work with – from the fishing communities, many of whom have become friends, to my young students and the team at InSeason Fish, all of them bring so many new experiences and life lessons.
WINGS: What’s your next challenge?
DR. DIVYA KARNAD: I have spent the last ~two decades immersed in ocean lore, thinking about the marine conservation challenges, and creating opportunities for sustainable seafood commons in India. My next challenge is to extend myself beyond these political boundaries and think at the scale of oceanic flows. For the moment, I am starting with collaborations with amazing women researchers in neighboring countries and am looking forward to learning and growing alongside many more amazing collaborators from around the world!
WINGS: Describe yourself in three words.
DR. DIVYA KARNAD: Determined, passionate, and loyal.
