DURHAM, N.C. – 91ÉçÇø¸£Àû, acting through the Nicholas School of the Environment, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centre for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore, India, to collaborate on research and educational programs.

The programs developed through the non-binding agreement will focus on issues related to ecology and conservation in India.  They may include joint research programs and centers; faculty and student exchanges; non-91ÉçÇø¸£Àû granting joint teaching programs; and the development of Masters Projects for Nicholas School students or joint student projects at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

William L. Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School, and Krithi K. Karanth, executive director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies, signed the MOU agreement April 9.  

Karanth is an adjunct assistant professor at the Nicholas School and is widely cited for her expertise on the human dimensions of conservation, such as risk assessments of human-wildlife conflicts, land use change and people-park relationships.  She received her PhD from Duke in 2008.   In 2011, she was named the recipient of the National Geographic Society’s 10,000th grant for research and exploration.  The grant supports Karanth’s work to assess human-wildlife conflicts in five parks and wildlife preserves located in India’s biodiverse Western Ghats.

Details about programs developed through the new MOU will be announced as they become available.