Pritam Banerjee

Dr. Pritam Banerjee is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, working in the Evolab with Profs. George Roderick and  Rosemary Gillespie. His research focuses on environmental DNA (eDNA), Plant-animal interactions, biodiversity monitoring, invasive species, and conservation biology. He has conducted interdisciplinary research across diverse ecosystems, including agricultural landscapes, freshwater habitats, and island systems such as Hawaii and Guam, integrating high-throughput sequencing metabarcoding, ecological modeling, and bioinformatics to understand species interactions and biodiversity patterns. He is proposing a DNA based solution for non-lethal Biodiversity monitoring. His work has contributed to the development of innovative eDNA-based approaches for ecosystem monitoring, conservation management, and ecological assessment, and continues to advance the application of molecular tools for addressing global environmental and conservation challenges.

Education

BSc, Botany, West Bengal State University, Barasat, West Bengal, India, 2016

MSc, Botany, Kalyani University, Kalyani, West Bengal, India, 2018

PhD, Molecular Biology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan, 2023

Research Lab

Evolab (Profs. George Roderick and  Rosemary Gillespie)

Selected Publications

• Banerjee, P*., Al-Bayer, S., Calaor, J., Weber, S., Graham, N., Andersen, J.C., Economo, E.P., Kennedy, S., Krehenwinkel, H., Gillespie, R. and Roderick, G., 2026. Comparison of environmental DNA and bulk DNA metabarcoding for assessing terrestrial arthropod diversity across three habitat types on Guam. Molecular Ecological Resources
• Banerjee, P*., Dey, G., Stewart, K.A., Barnes, M.A., Taharia, M., Seymour, M., Wang, C.W., Sharma, R.K., Maity, J.P. and Chen, C.Y., 2026. Environmental DNA Metabarcoding Effectively Detects Invasive Species, Pests, and Community Changes in Taiwan's Rice Fields. Ecology and Evolution, 16(4), p.e73339.
• Banerjee, P*., Maity, J.P., Chatterjee, N., Weber, S., Dey, G., Sharma, R.K. and Chen, C.Y., 2025. Harnessing Environmental DNA (eDNA) to Explore Frugivorous Interactions: A Case Study in Papaya (Carica papaya) and Pineapple (Ananas comosus), Environmental DNA. (DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70196).
• Banerjee, P et al., 2022. When conventional methods fall short: identification of invasive cryptic Golden Apple Snails (Pomacea canaliculata; P. maculata) using environmental DNA. Hydrobiologia, 849(19), pp.4241-4257.
• Banerjee, P et al., 2022. Plant–animal interactions in the era of environmental DNA (eDNA)—A review. Environmental DNA

Selected Honors and Awards

• Received the Young Scientist Award at the 9th International Congress & Exhibition on Arsenic in the Environment (As2024).
• Awarded 4 years of grant for Ministry of Education (MOE)- Industry-Academic Project (Taiwan), No 110CF59-02 (June 2019-June 2024): Total amount 0.8 million NTD.
• Awarded 2-year Overseas Research Scholarships (ORS; A503) from National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan (March 2021-March 2023): Total amount 0.4 million NTD.