About

From Mumbai, India.

I live in Konstanz, Germany, and work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) and Center of Advanced Studies of Collective Behavior (CASCB) at the University of Konstanz. I hold a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Mumbai University. I started working with L&T Ltd. as a software engineer in Mysore, India. In 2010, I moved to Munich/Germany to pursue an MSc. in Biomedical Computing at the Technical University of Munich (until 2013).

After completing my master's studies, I embarked on PhD (2013–2020) in Computer Vision and Augmented Reality from the Technical University of Munich with Prof. Nassir Navab in cooperation with Dr. Peter Keitler (founder) Extend3D GmbH. Around this time, I also picked up the hobby of birdwatching which ultimately motivated me to leave the field of industrial research and moved the focus of my PhD toward wildlife research. I joined the Department of Collective Behavior under the supervision of Iain Couzin at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.

In the last six years, I have been developing software to study large groups of animals using terrestrial and aerial images (UAV). I use computer vision and machine learning to automate the process of extracting biologically relevant data from images and videos. I am one of the lead researchers in the MELA project, which focuses on the study of leking, a rare mating behavior of Blackbucks (antelopes) in India. I am working with other teams to enhance 3D tracking methods for insects, birds, and mammals.

In addition to bird watching, Naik enjoys sketching, walking in the mountains, and napping next to large trees with huge canopies. I collaborate with several art institutions and independent artists to find approaches to generate curiosity in science through art projects. I have been invited to give public talks at several art institutions and I have written pop-science articles on topics outside my primary field of studies i.e. animal tracking on a global scale.

Recent art-science collaborations include projects with fellows of Akademie Schloss Solitude (2020–ongoing), courses with Merz Akademie (2020–2022), and mentoring a team at the Driving the Human event (2021–2022).

During the »field trip« at Akademie Schloss Solitude, I started the Encounters with the Wild project to share my experience of working with animals through stories. I intend to combine storytelling with audio or visual media and produce a series of short stories based on the daily life of animals at the Blackbuck National Park and Tal Chhapar Sanctuary in India. My residence is part of »Field Trip« – a new transdisciplinary residency program between Akademie Schloss Solitude and Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz.