My stint with ants began as a keen naturalist in Western Ghats, India. I did a BSc (2000) in Environmental Sciences with Honours in Entomology at Bangalore University, Bangalore and an MSc (2002) in Remote Sensing & Cartography at Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai. As part of a Cumulative Impact Assessment team at the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, I investigated ant distribution patterns in Western Ghats. In 2007, I was awarded a PhD from Macquarie University Sydney, for my work on ant navigation in deserts of Central Australia and North Africa.