Binoy V.V
Assistant Professor
School:
Room No:
03
Phone:
+91802218500, Extension 5107 (Office);
Mobile: +917829496778
Email:
Detailed CV:
PDF (203.91 KB)Binoy’s research focuses on social cognition and science communication. He studies the cognitive factors influencing knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and autobiographical memory of both adults and children from urban and rural areas of India. Bridging science communication with science education is another research topic being pursued, and his team develops strategies for teaching and communicating vital scientific concepts by integrating cognitive science and Information Communication Technology (ICT). Binoy coordinates a unique citizen science initiative named 'student-scientist', promoting bidirectional communication between students and scientists and joint knowledge production. His interest also lies in exploring the influence of mental models and properties of warning messages received through various channels on ‘sense making’ and ‘protective action decision making’ by people from different demographics while facing climate change and natural disasters. Recently, his team has started analysing the interaction between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Indian society with an aim to develop a road map for avoiding AI-society conflict in India.
Binoy also studies the role of cognitive abilities and behavioural flexibility in determining the behavioral adaptations by three piscine species, Climbing perch (Anabas testudineus; an air-breathing fish), Deccan Mahseer ( Tor khudree - a game fish) and Blind eel (Monopterous sp. - a subterranean fish), in response to the changes happening in their environment. Along with documenting behaviour and cognition of fishes his team also explores people’s perception of endemic fishes and natural water resources.
Binoy has co-edited two books, ‘Bridging the Communication Gap in Science and Technology: Lessons from India’ and ‘Self, Culture and Consciousness: Interdisciplinary Convergences on Knowing and Being’ published by Springer. He is a research affiliate in the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study and the Centre for the Study of Neuro-Economics, George Mason University, USA. He is an Inter-Continental Academia (ICA) Fellow and the Joint Secretary of the Ethological Society of India (ESI). Binoy is a recipient of the ‘Cognitive Science Research Initiative (CSRI) Postdoctoral Fellowship’ and ‘Young Scientist’ from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. He is also passionate about Yoga and Asian martial arts and has been a keen practitioner. For further details see: http://social-cognition.weebly.com/
Research Interests:
Social cognition, Cultural variation in cognition, Risk perception, Science communication, Biology education, Animal cognition, Conservation of the endangered fishes
Books
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Bagla, Pallava , and VV Binoy. 2016. Bridging the Communication Gap in Science and Technology: Lessons from India. Springer.
Journal Articles
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Sengupta, Asmita , VV Binoy, and Sindhu Radhakrishna. 2020. “Human-Elephant Conflict in Kerala, India: a Rapid Appraisal Using Compensation Records”. Human Ecology 48: 101-109. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10745-020-00128-6.
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Binoy, VV , Kasturirangan R, and Sinha A. 2015. “Sensory cues employed for the acquisition of familiarity-dependent recognition of a shoal of conspecifics by climbing perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch)”. Journal of Biosciences 40: 225-232.
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Radhakrishna, Sindhu , VV Binoy, and Anitha Kurup. 2014. “The culture of environmental education: insights from a citizen science experiment in India”. Current Science 107: 176–178. http://eprints.nias.res.in/622/.
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Binoy, VV , and Radhakrishna S. 2013. “Environmental decision-making: The role of culture-induced divergence in cognition”. Current Science 105: 757-759.
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Karmakar, Samir , and VV Binoy. 2012. “Tools as non-elaborated aesthetic form”. Science and Culture 78: 347–350. http://eprints.nias.res.in/481/.
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Binoy, VV , KS Roshan, and VB Rakesh. 2012. “Occurrence of Kryptoglanis shajii, an enigmatic subterranean-spring catfish (Siluriformes, Incertae sedis) in the channels of paddy fields”. Current Science 102: 161. http://eprints.nias.res.in/292/.
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Binoy, VV . 2010. “Catfish Clarias is vanishing from the waters of Kerala”. Current Science 90: 714.
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Binoy, VV , and Thomas K J. 2008. “Influence of hunger on the food stocking behavior of climbing perch”. Journal of Fish Biology 73: 1053-1057.
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Binoy, VV , and Thomas K J. 2006. “Climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) can recognize members of a familiar shoal”. Current Science 90: 288-289.
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Binoy, VV , Menon S, and Thomas K J. 2005. “The influence of methyl parathion on the behaviour of the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus)”. Pollution Research 24: 253-259.
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J, Thomas K, VV Binoy, and Baby G. 2005. “Male Siamese fighting fish prefers larger females with distended belly”. Journal of Ecobiology 17: 537-544.
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Binoy, VV , and Thomas K J. 2004. “The climbing perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch), a freshwater fish prefers larger unfamiliar shoals to smaller familiar shoals”. Current Science 86: 207-211.
Reports
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Binoy, VV , Chidambaran G Iyer, Lalith Mohan Patnaik, and Baldev Raj. 2016. NIAS Report Science, technology and Indian society: An anthology of perspectives. Bangalore: NIAS. http://eprints.nias.res.in/1129/.
- Three-credit course of Introduction to Consciousnessfor doctoral degree and postgraduate students (withSangeetha Menon, Anindya Sinha, LM Patnaik and Sisir Roy). National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; August – December 2015
- Three-credit course of Behaviour, Cognition and Consciousnessfor doctoral degree and post graduate students (with B V Sreekantan, Sangeetha Menon, Anindya Sinha). National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; September – December 2014
- Three-credit course of Understanding the Biology of Behaviourfor doctoral degree and postgraduate students. Central University of Kerala, Kasargode. 1-5 September 2014
- Three-credit course of “Essentials of Comparative Cognition” for doctoral degree students (with Anindya Sinha); National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; January – April 2014
- A three-credit course of “Human-Environment Interactions”, consisting of lectures, paper presentations and discussion sessions for doctoral degree students (with Sindhu Radhakrishna); National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; October – December 2013
- Two-lecture module on “Laboratory and Field Methodologies” as part of a three-credit course on Research Methodologies for doctoral degree students; National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; January – April 2013 and 2014
Affiliated to
- Research Affiliate Centre for the Study of Neuro-Economics, George Mason University, USA
- External Affiliate, Kranow Institute of Advanced Study, George Mason University, USA
- Lead, Biology Education Team, Connected Learning Initiative (CLIx),and a joint venture of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA and Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), Mumbai.
Research Grants
Principal Investigator
- Rufford Small Grant, UK. Sahyadri’s underground fishes: developing conservation action plans for the subterranean fishes of Western Ghats. (Co-PIs: Rajani M. B., National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore and Anvar Ali, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Kochi); November 2015- November 2016
- Eco-Water and Sanitation Hygiene (Eco WaSH) Programme. National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Government of India, New Delhi. “Understanding the role of ‘student networks’ in creating awareness about environment, water, sanitation and hygiene in rural and socio-economically marginalized areas” (Co-PIs: Sindhu Radhakrishna and Anitha Kurup,National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore); July 2014 - July 2016
- Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. Young Scientist (Fast Track) Project.“Intra-and inter-population variation in behavioural plasticity in a fish, the climbing perch Anabas testudineus: Role of behavioural syndromes and brain organisation”;July 2013 – July 2016
- Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. Cognitive Science Research Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship. “Conspecific recognition, numerical competence and capacity for transitive inference in a freshwater fish, the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus)”; August 2010 – August 2012
Co-Investigator
- SERB Women Excellence Award Research Grant. “Intraspecific variation in the slender loris Loris lydekkerianus” (PI: Sindhu Radhakrishna, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore); August 2013 – August 2016
- Conservation and Ethology: Can the twain meet?Workshop on Freshwater Fish Conservation: Concepts, Techniques and Strategies. Student Conference on Conservation Sciences- 2015, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore , 9th September, 2015.
- Student Networks’, MES, KVM College Valanchery, Malappuram, Kerala, 12th June, 2015
- Free Choice Learning and Information Technology Based Biology Education. Connected Learning Initiative (CLIx), Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), Mumbai, 25-28 April 2015
- Human-Wildlife Conflict: The Mitigation Strategies. Panchayath Secretaries Forum, Kasargode, Kerala, 23 February, 2015
- Introduction to Cognitive Science; Course for ISHAN VIKAS-UDHAN Programme. National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore; 25 December, 2014
- Bringing Environmental Pro Behaviours Amongst School Children: How Knowledge from Conservation Psychology and Citizen Science Movements Can Help. Environmental Conference. Swasraya Bharat-2014, College of Agriculture, Padannakad, 16 October 2014
- Human Mind: “The Source of Environmental Problems as well as the Hope for Solutions". National Symposium on "Human-wildlife Conflict or Coexistence-What We Want? Central University of Kerala, Padannakad, Nileshwar, 15 October 2014
- Behavioural Syndrome and Lateralised Utilisation of Brain Hemisphere in an Air Breathing Fish, Climbing Perch. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), 30 August 2014
- Our Natural Resources. Green Olympiad, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Bangalore, 9 July, 2014
- "When Spider Webs Unite, They Can Tie Up a Lion” Efficacy of Citizens science projects in data collection and science communication. African Delegation, visiting the Centre for International Cooperation in Science, Chennai. National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India; April 15, 2014
Binoy hosts a citizen science initiative named Student-Network, which aims to bridge colleges and schools with research institutions and enhance the student-scientist interaction and joint knowledge production. For details visithttp://www.nias.res.in/wash/ or the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/studentscientistnias/
Talks for school children
- Water Sanitation Hygeine (WaSH).Anekkal Public School, Anekal, Karnataka.14th November 2015.
- Imagination and Creativivity, BVM High School Thrissur, Kerala.6th November 2015.
- ‘Student Scientists’and Natural Resource Conservation. Govt. High School Irimbliyam, Malappuaram Kerala. 2nd August 2015
- Animal welfare and Pet Animals. Sandeepani High School Thrissur Kerala, 2 March, 2013