Supervisor: Nakul Chettri

Leesh Ray is from Alipurduar, a small town in the Himalayan foothills of northern West Bengal. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Banaras Hindu University.

Her research focuses on human-wildlife interactions and coexistence, with a strong interest in developing practical, community-led conservation strategies.

Prior to joining the doctoral programme, she worked for two years as a researcher on a human-elephant coexistence project in the Indian part of the Khangchendzunga Landscape, where she worked closely with local communities to strengthen human-elephant coexistence through strategic conservation solutions at grassroots level.

Since childhood, she has a deep passion for nature conservation, and has actively participated in bird watching and censuses, nature study camps, adventure and survival trekking programmes, and also serves as a trekking and camping guide. Beyond research, she enjoys exploring remote corners of the highlands of the Himalayas, learning about their flora, fauna, rivers, landscapes, and rich cultural diversity, and is always eager to learn new languages. She has received training from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), which further strengthened her passion for high-altitude expeditions, rock climbing, and wilderness exploration.