Interview with Baheerathan Murugavel

Mr Baheerathan Murugavel is currently a PhD in the BEE lab of IISER TVM under Dr Hema

Somanathan. Not being sure of what career to start with his love for animals (except

veterinary science), he was pushed into engineering, a ‘typical South Indian’ procedure. He

completed his B.Tech in Bioengineering but wasn’t satisfied with its job opportunities. So, he

did a ‘crazy shift’ in his career by doing an MSc in Genomics. He became interested in bat

research after meeting a department that had studied bats for over 40 years. He realized

that despite being intriguing animals, they were less studied. After his MSc, he switched to

animal behavior research, where he is now. His interest in bats was also fueled by ancient temple architecture and Sangam literature (2000-year-old poetry), where bats were always portrayed in a positive light (depicting love or a cue for time). His story reminds us that it’s okay to be unsure how to find what you love and take time to connect the dots. If you are brave enough to pursue your interests, you will eventually get

there despite having to make paradigm shifts.