Raghavendra Gadagkar

Professor Raghavendra Gadagkar is an evolutionary biologist specializing in social behavior, using the Indian wasp Ropalidia marginata to investigate evolutionary mechanisms behind social organization. His research spans four decades of empirical and theoretical work examining conflict resolution, reproductive strategies, and self-organization in insect societies.

Key contributions include developing the theory of Assured Fitness Returns, demonstrating how group living provides evolutionary advantages independent of genetic relatedness. His work reveals complex social dynamics including multiple queen mating, non-discriminatory brood care by workers, and conflict-free succession mechanisms.

Gadagkar advocates for reforming academic evaluation systems to prioritize research quality over funding magnitude or journal prestige. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he authored 'Experiments in Animal Behaviour: Cutting Edge Research at Trifling Cost' and writes the science column 'More Fun Than Fun' for The Wire Science.