Nisheet Zehbi | Arachnology | Emerging Scientist Award

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Ms. Nisheet Zehbi – Arachnology – Emerging Scientist Award🏆

Central University of Kashmir, Ganderbal – India

Professional Profiles

Early Academic Pursuits

Ms. Nisheet Zehbi has consistently demonstrated scholarly excellence from her formative years in Jammu & Kashmir. With a strong academic background in life sciences, she pursued her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Zoology from the University of Kashmir, culminating in her securing the 1st position in M.Sc. Zoology and being awarded the Gold Medal. Her early academic interests in animal biology, parasitology, and biodiversity laid the foundation for her advanced research trajectory.

Professional Endeavors

Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Zoology at the Central University of Kashmir, Ms. Zehbi has steadily transitioned from an academically gifted student to a budding research scholar. Her commitment to academic excellence is further supported by her success in several prestigious national-level examinations:

  • CSIR-NET (AIR: 64)

  • GATE (XL) (AIR: 1492)

  • GATE (EY) (AIR: 106)

Her research is funded by the DST-INSPIRE Fellowship, a highly competitive scheme awarded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

Contributions and Research Focus in Arachnology

Ms. Zehbi’s research is primarily rooted in arachnology, parasitology, and avian biodiversity—areas with significant implications in ecological health, zoonotic diseases, and regional faunal documentation. Her work contributes valuable taxonomic, ecological, and conservation insights, especially within the context of Kashmir Himalayas. Notable scholarly contributions include:

  1. 🕷️ Taxonomic advancements in spider fauna with three new species records from India.

  2. 📋 Comprehensive checklist of spiders in Kashmir, addressing a regional knowledge gap.

  3. 🧫 Critical review on Trichuris—highlighting zoonotic parasitology.

  4. 🐦 First-ever sighting of Western Reef-Heron in Jammu & Kashmir—a remarkable ornithological record.

  5. 🐑 Zoonotic threat of Trichostrongylosis in small ruminants, spotlighting veterinary and human health implications.

Accolades and Recognition

Her peer-reviewed works in reputed journals like:

  • Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity

  • Indian Journal of Entomology

  • IntechOpen (Book Chapter)

  • Journal of Helminthology

  • Journal of Threatened Taxa

…reflect her growing citation footprint and international reach. Her Gold Medal in M.Sc., alongside her AIR 64 rank in CSIR-NET, are a testament to her dedication, depth, and academic rigor.

Impact and Influence

Through her rigorous documentation and field-based taxonomy, Ms. Zehbi has enriched India’s biodiversity databases. Her publications are not only regionally relevant but internationally recognized, shedding light on undocumented species, and emerging parasitic diseases, and enhancing awareness of environmental and zoonotic concerns. Her findings have implications in biodiversity conservation, public health policy, and veterinary sciences.

Legacy and Future Contributions

Ms. Zehbi is poised to make significant strides in parasitic epidemiology, biodiversity cataloging, and faunal conservation. With an integrated focus on zoonoses, taxonomic exploration, and ecological data collection, her work will continue to inform policy, education, and wildlife health management in the Western Himalayas and beyond.

She envisions developing a regional faunal repository and contributing to open-access biodiversity databases, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals on life on land and good health.

Notable Publications