Dr Shivaji’s research interests include conservation of endangered animals, biodiversity of Antarctica, Arctic, Himalayas etc., and microbiome of the gut and eye with special reference to ocular diseases. The Government of India has conferred the prestigious National Award for research in Cryosphere and Polar sciences and the Antarctic Award for excellence in the field of Biological Sciences. He was a visiting scientist at Max-Planck Institute for Biophysikalische Chemie and Institute for Medicine, Germany and National Institute of Basic Biology, Japan. He is a fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian Academy of Sciences, India, and the Zoological Society of London, 2002.