Naresh Thakur
Assistant Professor
PhD (Shoolini University); Projects — Butterfly Park Plan (Chandigarh), Jhajjar Bachauli Wildlife Sanctuary Zonal Plan (Punjab)
Naresh Thakur is an Assistant Professor at the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Shoolini University. He completed his PhD in Zoology from Shoolini University, specialising in Taxonomy and Lepidopterology. He also earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Zoology from the same university.
His research centres on the taxonomy, diversity, and ecological significance of moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera), with a particular focus on the Indian Himalayan Region. Asst Prof Thakur has conducted extensive fieldwork across all 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh, significantly contributing to the documentation and conservation of moth fauna. His expertise includes morphological identification using dichotomous keys, genitalia dissections, and integrative taxonomy, which combines molecular and phylogenetic techniques to resolve cryptic species and complex taxa.
Asst Prof Thakur has contributed to important conservation projects such as the Management Plan for Butterfly Park, Sector 26, Chandigarh, and the Zonal Plan for Jhajjar Bachauli Wildlife Sanctuary, Punjab. He has compiled comprehensive species checklists, recorded new occurrences, and described novel taxa from underexplored habitats.
Beyond academia, Thakur actively promotes biodiversity conservation awareness and engages local communities through education initiatives. His work strengthens insect taxonomy in India and helps shape conservation strategies for vulnerable ecosystems.
Publications
Research Papers
- Thakur N, Bhardwaj V, Kumari P, Sidhu AK., (2024), An inventory of moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) from Kullu and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh. J App Biol Biotech, 12(5):186-197. DOI: 10.7324/JABB.2024.175339.
- Sambyal D, Thakur N, Rai N, Saini N, Rana S, Sofia Sharnma M, (2023), In Vitro Evaluation of synergistic antibacterial effect of raw honey and silk cocoons extracts; Biol. Forum; An international journal; 15(10):1445-1450.
Review Paper
- Bhardwaj V, Thakur N, Kumari P., (2025), Harnessing bee venom for inflammatory diseases management: from traditional medicine to nanotechnology. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology. 12:1-9. DOI: 10.1007/s00210-025-03991-6.
Book Chapter
- Thakur N, Kumari P, Yadav S, Mishra S, Jaiswal K., (2024), Introduction to Bioresource and their sustainable utilization. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. 10;123.
Copyright Intake Sheet
- Thakur N, Kumari P, (2023), Documentation of Moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) species from Kullu and Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.
Workshop:
- Attended one week high end Workshop / Karyashala “Capacity Building for Young Lepidopterologist: Insight into the Biology and Conservation of Lepidoptera with emphasis on Moths” organized by Zoological Survey of India, Western Regional Centre Pune from 18th -24th July, 2022.
- Attended one day training workshop on “People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs)” organized by Himachal Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, Shimla at Science Learning & Creativity Shoghi, Shimla on 22nd May, 2024
Conferences:
- Presented and won best oral presentation at “1st International Conference on Current Environmental Technologies for sustainable development” organized by Graphic Era University Dehradun on 9th -10th December 2024.
- Presented an oral presentation in the “International Conferences on Technological Advancement for Sustainable Developments towards Biodiversity Conservation” Organized by Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences on 22-24 Feb 2023.
- Presented an oral presentation in the “First National Conference on Himalayan Science and Technology (HiSTCon)” hosted by Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences on 20-21 May 2023.
- Presented an oral presentation on “National Conference on Entomology“ held at Zoological Survey of India, Solan on 13-14 Oct 2023
Webinar:
articipated in webinar titled “Role of biodiversity conservation in ecosystem functioning” organized by Dept. of Zoology, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya and Zoological Survey of India, on 14 Dec. 2022