September 21, 2016 — Prosanta Chakrabarty travels the world searching for fish that few humans have ever seen.
The LSU researcher wants to learn what these underwater unknowns can teach about evolution and the history of the earth.
He’s a modern-day explorer, swimming through murky waters and diving into caves in search of seldom-seen species.
“It’s such a wonderful job. It’s a great experience to be having,” he said. “Fish let me do that. They let me go to these weird places and discover them in odd areas of the world that most people don’t get to go to.”
And Chakrabarty, 37, uses his adventures — along with his natural ability to captivate an audience — to teach the world about science.
Speaking at the prestigious TED conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, earlier this year, Chakrabarty told an audience that ichthyology — the study of fish — is the only science with YOLO in the name.
“Now, to the cool kids in the audience, you already know,” he said. “YOLO stands for ‘you only live once.’ And because I only have one life, I’m going to spend it doing what I always dreamed of doing — seeing the hidden wonders of the world and discovering new species. And that’s what I get to do.”
Born in Montreal, Quebec — where his family lived after immigrating from India — Chakrabarty grew up in Queens, New York.
“Not the kind of place you would expect for someone who loves nature,” Chakrabarty said. “I think I went fishing once in some dirty pond catching sunfish.”