Joyshree Chanam has over 15 years of research experience in ecology and evolutionary biology, with a specialization in plant–insect interactions. She earned her PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, where she investigated the ecology and evolution of ant–plant mutualisms in the rainforests of peninsular India. Following her doctoral work, she conducted postdoctoral research at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, examining the effects of global warming on floral volatiles and plant–pollinator interactions in the alpine meadows of the Eastern Himalayas.

In addition to her research, Joyshree has designed and taught a semester-long postgraduate course in Insect Ecology at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, across four academic years: 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

More recently, her research interests have expanded to include the social dimensions of climate change. She has contributed to the Oral Histories of Climate Change project (2022–2023), a collaboration between the Oral History Unit and Collective at Newcastle University (UK), the Centre for Public History at Srishti-Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and the Archives at NCBS, Bengaluru. Joyshree continues to collect conversations with people around the world recounting personal memories and perceptions of a changing world. She is also a contributing author to the STEM–SSH interdisciplinary project on climate change adaptation, funded by the SSH CENTRE (Social Sciences and Humanities for Climate, Energy aNd Transport Research Excellence), a Horizon Europe initiative (2023–2024). 

Currently, Joyshree is collaborating with Isabella Sarto-Jackson (Executive Manager and Group Leader, Evolution of Cognition, KLI) on a project on Ecological Empathy, supported by the City of Vienna (Stadt Wien) and the Club of Vienna.

Since January 2024, she has held the position of Communications Manager at the KLI, where she is responsible for disseminating the institute’s research and events across various platforms. Her role includes managing content for the KLI News page, producing the biannual KLife newsletter, designing promotional materials such as posters, postcards and bookmarks, and editing workshop abstract booklets.