BIODATA MILIND GAJANAN WATVE, M. Sc., Ph. D ... - IISER Pune

BIRTH DATE: 12th DEC. 1957.
NATIONALITY: INDIAN
Academic Qualifications:
BIODATA
MILIND GAJANAN WATVE,
M. Sc., Ph. D., FASc
www.milindwatve.com
Degree University Subject Year Class
B. Sc. University of Poona Microbiology 1977 Ist
M. Sc. University of Poona Microbiology 1979 Ist
Ph. D. Indian Inst. Sci., Bangalore Ecology 1994
Ph. D. Thesis:
"The Ecology of Host Parasite Interactions in a Wild Mammalian Host Community in the Mudumalai Wild
Life Sanctuary Southern India"
The research leading to Ph. D. was a pioneering piece of work a part of which was published in the
Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. Another outcome of the work received full page
news coverage in Science.
Present Position:
Professor, Biology
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune

Dr. Milind Watve
Published Research Work:
Patents:
1. Milind Watve An apparatus for creating anaerobic, microaerobic and carbondioxide environments.
Indian Patent No. 151507, 1981
2. Milind Watve A process for making a kit for determining the sensitivity of a group of antibiotics to a
bacterial culture. Indian patent No. 189799, 1997
3. Milind Watve and Subhash Kulkarni A method and apparatus for carrying out rapid sterilization,
Indian Patent no. 190697, 1999.
4. Milind Watve and Kalyani Damle. Process of manufacturing agarose from agar-agar by bacterial
fermentation. Indian patent no. 200857, 2000.
5. Milind Watve A device for pressure cooking in microwave oven, patent pending.
6. Milind Watve A method of treatment for metabolic syndrome, Australian patent No. 2009100913.
Research Papers:
1. Anuja Joshi, Sumedha Kondekar, Prajakta Belsare, Saroj Ghaskadbi, Milind Watve, Maithili Jog
(2010) People with metabolic syndrome disorders give lower offers in ultimatum game,
Psychology, 1, 128-133.
2. Watve Mukta, Dahanukar Neelesh and Watve Milind (2010) Sociobiological control of plasmid
replication regulation. PLoS One,5(2): e9328.
3. Belsare Prajakta, Watve milind, Bhat Dattatraya, Ghaskadbi Saroj, Jog Maithili, Yajnik
Chittaranjan (2010) Metabolic syndrome: aggression control mechanisms gone out of control
Medical Hypotheses, 74, 578-589.
4. Belsare Prajakta, Sriram Balasubramaniam & Watve Milind (2009) Cooptimization of nectar
content and floral display. J. Biosci. 34, 963-967.
5. Dahanukar Neelesh and Watve Milind (2009) Group selection and reciprocity among kin. The
Open Biology Journal 2, 66-79.
6. Dahanukar, N. & Watve, M.(2009) Refinement of defection strategies stabilizes
cooperation. Current Science, 96 (6): 801-810
7. Mankar Manasee, Joshi RS, Belsare PV, Jog MM and Watve MG (2008) Obesity as a perceived
social signal. PLoS one 3, e3187.

8. Watve M. G. and Mandani S. (2008) Why serum chemokine levels are raised in insulin resistance
syndrome: an immune reversal hypothesis. Curr Sci 95, 171-174.
9. Watve M. G. and Yajnik C. S. (2007) Evolutionary origins of insulin resistance: a behavioral switch
hypothesis BMC Evolutionary Biology 7, 61.
10. Anand C., Umranikar C, Shintre P., Damle A., Kale, J., Joshi J and Watve M. (2007) Presence of
two types of flowers with respect to nectar sugar in two gregariously flowering species. J. Biosci.,
32, 769-774.
11. Modak T., Pradhan, S., Watve, M. (2007) Sociobiology of biodegradation and the role of predatory
protozoa in biodegrading communities J. Biosci. 32, 775-780.
12. Anjali A. Kulkarni, S. M. Kelkar, M. G. Watve and K. V. Krishnamurthy. (2007)
Characterization and Control of Endophytic Bacterial Contaminants in in vitro Cultures of
Piper spp., Taxus baccata ssp. wallichiana and Withania somnifera Can. J. Microbiol 53,
63-74.
13. Watve, Milind, Parab Sweta, Jogdand Prajakta and Keni Sarita (2006) Aging may be a conditional
strategic choice and not an inevitable outcome for bacteria. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci, USA 103, 14831-
14835.
14. Jog M. M. and Watve M. G. (2005) Sarcocystosis of chital (Axis axis) and dhole (Cuon alpinus):
conditions for evolutionary stability of a predator parasite mutualism. BMC Ecology 5, 3.
15. Maithili M. Jog , Rahul R. Marathe, Shantanu S. Goel, Sachin P. Ranade, Krushnamegh K. Kunte
and Milind G. Watve (2005) Sarcocystosis of chital (Axis axis) and dhole (Cuon alpinus): ecology
of a mammalian prey–predator-parasite system in Peninsular India. J. Tropical Ecol., 21, 479-482.
16. Watve Milind, Champhekar, K., Rao, N., Sarma, K., Shah, B and Mahajani, K., (2004) Sex versus
non-sex versus cheaters. Curr. Sci., 87, 95-99.
17. Thakar, Juilee, Kunte, Krushnamegh, Chauhan Anisha, Watve Aparna and Watve Milind. (2003).
Nectarless flowers: Ecological correlates and evolutionary stability. Oecologia. 136: 565-570.
18. Jog, M., Marathe, Rahul., Goel, Shantanu., Ranade, Sachin., Kunte, Krishnamegh., Watve, Milind.
(2003). Sarcocystis Infection in chital (Axis Axis) and dhole (cuon alpinus) in two Indian protected
areas. Zoos’ Print Journal. 18(10). 1220-1222.
19. Watve, M., Thakar, J., Kale, A., Puntambekar, S., Shaikh, I., Vaze, K., Jog, M. and Paranjape, S.
(2002) Bee-eaters (Merops orientalis) respond to what a predator can see. Animal Cognition 5, 253-
259.

20. Kale, A.U, Somedatta,C, Watve, M. G. (2002) Evolution of Mycobacterim leprae towards reduced
virulence. Curr.Sci.83-9, 1078-1080.
21. Marathe, R. R., Goel, S. S., Ranade, S., Jog, M. M. and Watve, M. G. (2002) Patterns in abundance
and diversity of fecal parasites of tiger in Tadoba National Park, central India. BMC Ecology 2: 6.
22. Nagarkar, P. P., Rawetkar, S. D. and Watve M. G. (2002) The amino acid requirements of
Corynebacterium diphtheriae PW8 substrain CN 2000. J Appl. Microbiol 92, 215-220.
23. Watve, M. G., Tickoo, R., Jog, M. M. and Bhole, B. D. (2001) How many antibiotics are produced
by the genus Streptomyces? Arch. Microbiol., 176, 386-390.
24. Nagarkar, P. P., Rawetkar, S. D. and Watve M. G. (2001) Oligophilic bacteria as tools to monitor
aseptic pharmaceutical production units. Appl. Env. Microbiol, 67, 1371-1374.
25. Watve M. G. et al (2000) The K selected oligophilic bacteria: a key to uncultured diversity ? Curr
Sci, 78, 1535 - 1541.
26. Kanitkar, D. R., Kanitkar, R. and Watve, M. G. (2000) Longivity of Azotobacter cysts in liquid
formulations. Curr. Sci., 78, 719-722.
27. Watve, M. G. et al (1999) Myxobacterial diversity of Indian soils-How many species do we have ?
Curr. Sci., 77, 1089-1095.
28. Smitha, B., Thakar, J. and Watve M. G. (1999) Do bee-eaters have theory of mind? Curr. Sci.,
76,574-577.
29. Sathe, A. A., Hinge, D. V. and Watve, M. G. (1998) Incidence of diarrhoeic diseases in families
using traditional and commercial water purification systems. In: Proc. Natl. Symp. Frontiers in
Appl. Environ. Microbiol., (Ed. I. S. Bright Singh) SES, CUSAT, Cochin. pp 196-199.
30. Watve, M. G. and Champhekar, K. (1997) An interactive neo-darwinian algorithm for musical
creativity. In: Proc. of Third Int. Conf. on Cognitive Systems, Eds. J. R. Issac, Ritu Dangwal and C.
Chakraborty, Vol. II, 861-870.
31. Watve, M. G. (1997) Parasite diversity and Bacterial diversity: a statistical perspective. Int. J. Ecol.
and Env. Sci., 23,165-172.
32. Watve, M. G. and R. Sukumar (1997) Asian elephants with longer tusks have lower parasite loads.
Curr. Sci. 72, 885-889.
33. Matapurkar, A. K. and Watve, M. G. (1997) Altruist cheater dynamics in Dictyostelium: aggregated
distribution leads to stable oscillations. American Naturalist, 150, 790-797.
34. Watve, M. G. and Jog, M. M. (1997) Epidemic diseases and host clustering: an optimum cluster
size ensures maximum survival. J. Theor. Biol., 184, 165-169.

35. Watve, M. G. and Gangal, R. M. (1996) Problems in measuring bacterial diversity and a possible
solution. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62, 4299-4301.
36. Watve, M. G. and Sukumar, R. (1995) Parasite loads of mammals: correlates with host ecology.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.,USA 92, 8945-8949
37. Watve, M. G. (1995) Helminth parasites of elephants: ecological aspects. In: A Week With
Elephants: Proceedings of the International Seminar on Asian Elephants (Ed. J. C. Daniel and H.
Datye), Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford Pp. 289-295.
38. Watve, M. G., Palkar, A. S., Mehendale, S. S. and Deshpande, N. M. (1995) Cryptic genes: are
directed mutations always beneficial ? Curr. Sci. 68, 1039-1043.
39. Watve, M. G., Sant, N. R. and Joshi V. (1994) Why Bonelli’s eagles hunt in pair: A relative
assessment of individual and paired hunting successes. J. Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc. 91, 355-359.
40. Gore, A. P., Paranjape, S. A., Geeta Rajgopalan, Kharshikar, A. V., Joshi, N. V., Watve M. G. and
Gogate, M. G. (1993) Tiger census: Role of quantification. Curr. Sci. 64, 711-714.
41. Watve M. G. (1993) Why man has no predator. Curr. Sci. 65, 120-122.
42. Watve M.G., Paranjpe S.A. & Gore A.P. (1989) Tiger pug mark census - The role of zoos. Zoo’s
Print, 4, No. 10, 5-7.
43. Watve M.G. (1988) Preservation of bacterial colony morphology. MIRCEN Journal, 4, 495-496.
Letters, correspondence, short communications etc:
44. Watve, M. G. (1992) Of Maize and Models. Curr. Sci. 62, 611-612
45. Sathe, A. A., Hinge, D. V. and Watve, M. G. (1997) Water treatment and diarrhoeic diseases. The
Lancet, 348, 335-336.
46. Watve M.G., Joshi, V., Sant, N.R. and Ranade S. (1989) Storage of food by Bonelli’s eagle
(Hieraaetus fasciatus). J. Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc. 86, 446-447.
47. Kshirsagar V. G., Diwanay, S. S. and Watve M. G. (1989) Production of antifungal substance by
Bacillus licheniformis. Indian J. Microbiol. 29, 237-238.
Reviews and book chapters:
1. Watve, M. G., Ashraf Kunhunu and Maithili Jog. Diseases and parasites of wild mammals. In:
Mammals of South Asia Ed. A. J. T. Johnsingh, Permanent Black, New Delhi, in press.
2. Jog M. M. and Watve M. G. (2005) Role of parasites and commensals in shaping host behavior.
Curr. Sci., 89, 1184-1191.

3. Watve, M. G. (1997) Microbial Diversity: a treasure unknown. In: Biodiversity of the Western
Ghats of Maharashtra - current knowledge. Ed. A. P. Jagtap, WWF & BHCP, Pune, 92-94.
Open peer review journals:
1. Watve, Milind, Watve, Samit, Belsare, Prajakta, Lele, Uttara, Bari, Snehal, and Karande, Sarika.
(2008) Caloric restriction causes symmetric cell division and delays aging in Escherichia coli.
Available from Nature Precedings
2. Watve Mukta and Watve Milind (2008) Sociobiological control of plasmid copy number.
Available from Nature precedings doi:10.1038/npre.2008.2016.1
3. Watve Milind, Damle Anuja, Ganguly Bratati and Kale Anagha. (2007) Evolution of Co-
operation When the Strategies are Hidden: The Human Mating Game. Available from
Nature Precedings http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2007.740.1
4. Kumbhar Charushila and Milind G. Watve (2007) Streptomyces sp as predators of bacteria.
Available from Nature precedings http://precedings.nature.com/documents/1263/version/2
5. Watve M. G. (2005) The human pheromones androstenol and androstenone and the co-evolution of
male-female mating strategies. Logical Biology 5, 81-84.
6. Kale, Anagha U. and Watve Milind G. (2004) Social pressure and the co-existance of multiple
strategies in a human-like mating system. Logical Biology 4, 50-59.
7. Watve, M., Saha, M., Bhide, V. and Jog, M. (2003) Taking care can be hazardous: Simulations
show protecting a part of a population can increase disease incidence. Logical Biology 2003 (1): 4-
15.
Selected Important citations:
1. Tiedemann (1997) Sexual selection in Asian elephants Science 278, 1541-51.
2. Velicer G. J., Kroos, L. and Lenski, R. E. (2000) Developmental cheating in the social bacterium
Myxococcus xanthus Nature 404, 598-601.
3. Hudson, R. E., Aukema, J. E., Rispe, C. and Roze, D. (2002) Altruism, cheating and anticheater
adaptations in cellular slime molds. American Naturalist 160, 31-43.
4. Coats, A., Hu, Y.M., Bax, R. et al (2002) The future challenges facing the development of new
antimicrobial drugs. Nature Rev. Drug Discovery 1, 895-910.
5. Hopwood, (2003) Microbiology: an era’s and the start of a new one? Science 301, 1850-51.
6. Clardy J, Fischbach MA, Walsh CT. (2006) New antibiotics from bacterial natural
products. Nat. Biotechnol. 24, 1541-1550.

7. Gilbert OM, Foster KR, Mehdiabadi NJ, Strassman JE and Queller DC (2007) High
relatedness maintains multicellular cooperation in a social amoeba by controlling cheater
mutants. Proc Nat Acad Sci. 104, 8913-8917.
8. Pennington JM and Rosenberg SM (2007) Spontaneous DNA breakage in single living
Escherichia coli cells. Nature genetics 39, 797-802.
9. Lindner AB et al (2008) Asymmetric segregation of protein aggregates is associated with
cellular aging and rejuvination. Proc Nat Acad Sci. 105, 3076-3081.
10. Fishbach MA and Walsh CT (2009) Antibiotics for emerging pathogens Science 325,
Textbooks:
1089-1093.
1. Watve, M. G. and Paknikar, S. K. (1996) Microbiology: a practical approach (a first year book) Manali
Prakashan, Pune.
2. Watve, M. G., Kshirsagar, V. G. and Paknikar, S. K. (1997) Microbiology a conceptual approach (vol. I),
Manali Prakashan, Pune.
Selected list of Lectures delivered, oral or poster presentations at conferences
1. International Seminar on the Conservation of the Asian Elephant, B. N. H. S., Mudumalai, 1993.
(Paper - oral presentation) “Parasites of Wild Elephants: Ecological Aspects.”
2. Workshop on Statistical Methods for Ecologists, UNESCO, UNDP, Uni. of Poona, 1995. (Lecture)
“Quantification in Parasitology.” (Computer Practicals) i. Statistical Ecology Package ii. Computer
Simulations in Conservation Studies.
3. Third International Conference on Cognitive Systems, New Delhi Dec. 1997. (One paper - oral
presentation ) An Interactive Neo_Darwinian Algorithm for Musical Creativity.
4. Ninth International Congress for Culture Collections, Brisbane, Australia, July 2000. Organized by
The World Federation for Culture Collections. (Three poster presentations) (i) How many
antimicrobial compounds do Streptomyces have? (ii) The ‘K’ selected oligophilic bacteria : a key to
uncultured diversity? (iii) Myxobacterial diversity of Indian soils.
5. Annual Meeting of the Indian Academy of Science Chandigarh, Nov. 2002 (Invited Speaker)
Science where culture matters: a neoclassical approach to explore untapped bacterial diversity.
6. Symposium on conservation of India’s Biological diversity (Symposium to felicitate Prof. Madhav
Gadgil, Bangalore, June 2004. (invited Speaker) Microbial diversity: India’s best bet in
Biotechnology.

7. XXIX International Ethology Conference, Budapest Hungary, 20 th -27 th Aug 2005 (3 oral
presentations and 2 posters).
8. Lab Seminar at Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK, 30 th Aug
2005. “Animal Cognition: a view from India”
9. Lab Seminar at John Innes Center, Norwich, UK 1 st Sep 2005, “Oligophilic actinomycete like
bacteria: a promise for the future”
10. Lab Seminar at Department of Evolutionary Psychology, University of St-Andrews, Scotland, UK,
5 th Sep 2005, “Animal Cognition: a view from India”
11. Lab Seminar, Neurobiology lab, Cold Spring Harbor Lab, US. 16 th Sep 2005, “Do bee-eaters have
theory of mind?”
12. Lab Seminar at Paige laboratory for veterinary and animal sciences, University of Massachusetts,
19 th Sep 2005, “Insulin resistance: a strategic switch”
13. Integrative Biology Seminar at The Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas,
Austin, US, 22 nd Sep 2005, “Ecology of host parasite interactions: what decides parasite loads and
what parasite loads decide”
14. Lab seminar at NCBI, NLM, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Washington DC, US, 26 th Sep
2005 “Insulin resistance: a strategic switch”
15. Seminar at Center for Infectious Diseases, Dept of Life Sciences, University of Stony Brook, NY,
US 30 th Sep 2005 “Insulin resistance: a strategic switch”
16. M&S colloquium, Center for Modeling and Simulation, University of Pune, 25 th Jan 2006,
“Cooperating with cheaters around: new insights into an old problem.”
17. 106 th annual meeting of ASM, Orlando, Florida May 2006 3 poster presentations.
18. CIDD seminar, Center for infectious disease dynamics, Penn State University, US, 6 th June 2006
“Epidemiology: models versus reality”
19. HBES (Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Philadelphia, 7-10 June 2006, 2 poster
presentations.
20. Invited talk, Center for Biomolecular interactions, University of Bremen, Germany, 16 th June 2006,
“Behavioral ecology of metabolic regulation: the case of insulin resistance”
21. Lab seminar, Department of psychiatry, University of Lubeck 14 th June 2006, “Evolutionary origins
of insulin resistance”

22. University of Konstanz, Germany, 19 th June 2006 seminar on “r and K selection in bacteria and a
trade off between growth rate and growth yield”
23. 108 th annual meeting of American Society for Microbiology (ASM), Boston, USA, 1 st to 5 th June
2008. 4 poster presentations.
Popular Science publications, literature and music:
1] Watve M. G., Paranjpe V. M. (1985-1990) “ Apli Srishti Aple Dhan” Vol. I to IV (in Marathi), Nisarga
Prakashan, Pune.
2] Watve M. G. (1994) “Aranyaka”, Shubhada Sarsawat Prakashan, Pune. (Recipient of the Maharashtra
state literature award). Second edition 2004.
3] Watve M. G. (1995) “Pakshyanchya Goshti”, Jyotsna Prakashan, Mumbai.
4] “Bhutane Dharali Porgi” Marathi Songs audio cassette (1995) Prizm Cassettes.
5] Over 80 popular science articles published in Marathi, Hindi and English Magazines and newspapers.
Prizes, Awards and honors:
1. Late G. S. Parkhe Industrial Merit Prize for the year 1983, awarded for successful development of the
product - Dyanox Anaerobic System.
2. FIE foundation national award for the year 1990 in the field of arts, culture and humanities. Awarded for
the publication ‘Apli Srishti Aple Dhan’ Vol. I to IV.
3. Special Jury and Best Team award at the children’s educational video festival, N. C. E. R. T., New Delhi.
1988-89. Awarded for script writing and directing the film ‘Vasantatli Gharkule’, documenting
breeding behaviour of birds.
4. Eureka Forbes Best Paper award 1995 for oral presentation (coauthored A. Sathe and D. Hinge) at
National Symposium on Frontiers of Applied Environmental Microbiology, Cochin 1995, in the thrust
area - “Microbial quality of potable waters”.
5. Eureka Forbes Best Paper award 1995 for oral presentation (coauthored R. Gangal) at National
Symposium on Frontiers of Applied Environmental Microbiology, Cochin 1995, in the thrust area -
“Microbial Productivity and Diversity in Nature”.
6. Maharashtra state literature award 1994-95, for Marathi book "Aranyaka".
7. Anveshan: National Innovation Award – Silver Medal 2004, Center for innovation, Incubation and
Entrepreneurship, IIM Ahmedabad
8. Homi Bhabha Fellow 2005 - 2006.

Memberships and Positions held:
1. Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences, 2002 onwards.
2. Member, Council of Editors, Resonance - Journal of Science Education, Indian Academy of
Science. 1996-98.
3. Founder and Director Anujeeva Biosciences Pvt. Ltd.
Appreciation and recognition of research:
1. Honored among "Faces of the Millenium (Science)" - India Today, 27th Dec. 1999.
2. A full page news coverage by Science, to research on elephant parasites (27 th June 1997)
3. Nature News India: news coverage to research on new antibiotics (April 2002)
4. ASM news included a paper by Watve & Gangal in Journal Highlights (Jan 1997).
5. Berlin Online gave news coverage to research on bird cognition (09/06/1999)
6. The Catholic University of America, Washington DC included a paper on bird cognition among the
reference material for a course in “Sensation and Perception” by Prof. James Howard, Dept. of
Psychology 2003-2004.
7. The Telegraph (Kolkata) twice wrote cover story focusing on Dr. Watve and his research with
undergraduate students.
8. Nature News India: cover story on Use of biological weapon by dhole.
9. News coverage by New Scientist to PNAS paper on bacterial aging 25 th Sept 2006.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn10154
10. News coverage by The Economist. London. 28 th Sept 2006 for research on bacterial aging.
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=7963601
11. News coverage by Forum für Wissenschaft, Industrie und Wirtschaft 26 th Sept 2006 for
research on bacterial aging (in German)
12. News coverage in Nature India 13 th Sep 2008. What people think of the obese.
13. Frequent news coverage to research by Indian press including Times of India, Indian Express,
Deccan Herald, Sakal and Loksatta.