Working at the intersection of art and science, Nirupa Rao seeks to bring alive the magic of the plant kingdom.
Why you should listen
Based in Bangalore, India, Nirupa Roa collaborates closely with ecologists and conservationists to document the subcontinent's biodiversity. Her books, Hidden Kingdom: Fantastical Plants of the Western Ghatsand Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats, both focus on the jungles of southern India through the lens of botany—a subject often neglected in popular science. Her illustrations have also been turned into games used to sensitize children living in wildlife conflict-prone regions. She has been named a National Geographic Explorer and Storytelling Fellow, and an artist-in-residence at Harvard's Dumbarton Oaks Research Center and Museum.
