Pranav Khandelwal

Track

Research Frontiers

Faculty Mentors

Jake Socha, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics

Shane Ross, Professor of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Briefly describe the research project you are planning to contribute to and lead as a postdoctoral associate at Virginia Tech. What is the problem you are addressing? What is the expected impact of your work?

Human activities have caused an unprecedented decline in global biodiversity. To restore damaged ecosystems, conservation efforts such as habitat restoration and animal monitoring are crucial. Animal monitoring is currently limited to short-term opportunistic sampling, making it challenging to gauge the effectiveness of restoration efforts and the overall health of the animal population. To address these challenges, my proposed project will develop a novel tracker that can be deployed on animals, much like a fitness tracker for humans. The tracker will enable the characterization of an animal’s movement capabilities, providing valuable insights about the animal’s behavior that can inform restoration strategies and interventions. Specifically, we will be studying the natural movements of local flying squirrels. By integrating this technology into conservation efforts, the project aims to significantly improve the effectiveness of restoration strategies and contribute to the protection and revival of our planet’s biodiversity.

Why did you choose to pursue postdoctoral training at Virginia Tech?

I am excited to be part of Dr. Socha and Dr. Ross’s research groups at Virginia Tech. These groups have a rich history of working on animal biomechanics related research, providing the ideal environment to pursue my proposed project. Moreover, Virginia Tech offers the right mix of fundamental, applied, and interdisciplinary research, which will greatly benefit the project and my future research goals. Facilities such as the motion capture arena at the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology and the Virginia Tech Drone Park would accelerate the development of the animal tracker and act as a unique test bed before deploying the device in real-world conditions.

What are you most looking forward to as you begin in this fellowship at Virginia Tech?

I look forward to an enriching experience working on the project and to meeting peers, faculty, and students from various backgrounds along the way. I believe the resources and professional development provided as part of this fellowship will be invaluable towards realizing a career in research.