Prosanta Chakrabarty is on a Mission to Understand the World — One Fish at a Time

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Prosanta Chakrabarty, is an associate professor of biological sciences and curator of fishes at the LSU Museum of Natural Science. He has a Ph.D. in ichthyology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his research and interests have led him to work across the globe. So far, he has identified 12 new fish species in various parts of the world.

A Queens, New York, native, Chakrabarty has made his home in Baton Rouge since 2008. His work within the Baton Rouge community has been dedicated to sharing his work with students of all ages. On Feb. 28 he will be one of 12 speakers at TEDxLSU 2015, talking about the power of making connections between natural history and today’s world to build a clearer picture of Earth’s future.

I connected with Prosanta recently to learn a little more about his life and passions. Here are the highlights of our conversation.

What brought you to Baton Rouge?

This wonderful job! I wanted to be a fish curator and when my current position opened up I jumped at the chance.

If X is the thing that drives you, that connects you, that inspires you, what is your X?

My X — the thing that drives me — is getting a better understanding of our natural world.

What is your favorite fish to study? Describe it!

Like children, I can’t pick favorites among my fishes. But I love cavefishes because they have evolved in these strange dark environments that are so unfamiliar to many people. Their lack of eyes and depigmented white bodies are so strange to examine and they can tell us so much about the history of Earth.

I know you’ve been to over 20 countries. Where do you want to go next?

I actually just returned from a wonderful month-long trip to India. But up next we are planning on going back to Kuwait, and to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for the first time in April.

What is your favorite place in Baton Rouge?

I love my little neighborhood where I live. It’s called Camelot. As a city kid growing up I didn’t know I’d ever be able to live in such a peaceful quiet neighborhood where I can walk around with my kids and my dogs without worrying about anything.

I also think our Museum of Natural Science is one of the best kept secrets in town. My kids never tire of visiting the exhibits and I think it is certainly one of the best places to visit at the LSU Campus and certainly in Baton Rouge.

If you weren’t an ichthyologist, what would you be doing with your life?

At this point it is hard for me to imagine doing anything else — so I honestly don’t know what else I’d be doing!

TEDxLSU has a mission of creating dialogue in our community. What are we not talking about that we should be?

I think we should be talking about how fewer and fewer people are scientifically literate. I think many people don’t understand how science works and that is in part because of the lack of public access to many scientific works that should be open to all.

Before you get up to do your TEDxLSU talk how are you going to pump yourself up?

Hmmm….I think I’ll have to tell myself that I need to do a good job so that I get my message across about the importance of natural history in 21st century science. I might also need to listen to some hip-hop or something, too, to get pumped.

Who is your favorite superhero?

Never been asked that. I should say Aquaman, but I guess it is Batman.

If you could ask a question to one of your fellow TEDxLSU 2015 speakers, what would you ask?

I would ask, “What is the one thing you would change about the world we live in?”

To learn more about Prosanta and TEDxLSU 2015, follow TEDxLSU on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Connect with Prosanta and his fellow speakers on Feb. 28.