
Rishab Pillai
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
Dr Rishab Pillai is a postdoctoral researcher in the Quantitative Morphology Group at the University of Adelaide. His research interests lie in the functional morphology of vertebrates and their ecological interactions. Rishab’s current work focuses on understanding the ecological factors that drive morphological evolution in invasive species.
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Awards and Achievements
Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount 2024 Teaching Award Excellence in Community Engagement Award James Cook University Vanuatu - 2021 Research Award James Cook University Competitive Research Training Grant James Cook University Australia 5000 2021 Research Award Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Ecological Society of Australia Australia 15000 2020 Scholarship International Postgraduate Research Scholarship Australian Government and James Cook University Australia 82,500 -
Language Competencies
Language Competency English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review Hindi Can read, write, speak and understand spoken Malayalam Can speak and understand spoken Marathi Can read, write, speak and understand spoken -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2025 Sherratt, E., Böhmer, C., Callou, C., Nelson, T. J., Pillai, R., Ruf, I., . . . Geiger, M. (2025). From wild to domestic and in between: how domestication and feralization changed the morphology of rabbits. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 292(2050), 20251150-1-20251150-10.
2025 Riedel, J., Wirth, W., Allen-Ankins, S., Nordberg, E., Edwards, W., Schwarzkopf, L., & Pillai, R. (2025). Whats the point? The functional role of claws in pad-bearing geckos (Gekkota: Diplodactylidae). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2023 Pillai, R. R., Riedel, J., & Schwarzkopf, L. (2023). The role of ecdysis in repair of an attachment system: a case study using geckos. Journal of Experimental Biology, 226(10), 10 pages.
Scopus3 Europe PMC32021 Schultz, J. T., Cieri, R. L., Proost, T., Pilai, R., Hodgson, M., Plum, F., & Clemente, C. J. (2021). Tail Base Deflection but not Tail Curvature Varies with Speed in Lizards: Results from an Automated Tracking Analysis Pipeline. INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY, 61(5), 1769-1782.
Europe PMC42020 Pillai, R., Nordberg, E., Riedel, J., & Schwarzkopf, L. (2020). Nonlinear variation in clinging performance with surface roughness in geckos. Ecology and Evolution, 10(5), 2597-2607.
Scopus20 Europe PMC132020 Pillai, R., Nordberg, E., Riedel, J., & Schwarzkopf, L. (2020). Geckos cling best to, and prefer to use, rough surfaces. Frontiers in Zoology, 17(1), 12 pages.
Scopus12 Europe PMC52020 Fushida, A., Riedel, E., Nordberg, E. J., Pillai, R., & Schwarzkopf, L. (2020). Can Geckos Increase Shedding Rate to Remove Fouling?. HERPETOLOGICA, 76(1), 22-26.
2020 Pillai, R., Kikani, J., Walmiki, N., Parab, U., & Karangutkar, S. (2020). A record of Python molurus (Linnaeus, 1758) feeding on Ratufa indica Erxleben, 1777. Herpetology notes.
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Community Engagement
Date Title Engagement Type Institution Country 2022 - ongoing ABC Science Podcast – What the Duck! Public Community Engagement Australian Broadcasting Corporation Australia 2021 - ongoing World Wildlife Week Feature – James Cook University Public Community Engagement James Cook University Australia -
Review, Assessment, Editorial and Advice
Date Title Type Institution Country 2024 - ongoing Associate Editor Journal Review Herpetology Notes -
Connect With Me
External Profiles