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Dr. Devya Hemraj-Naraine
BSc.
Assistant Curator II/Lecturer II
Department of Biology
Email
devya.hemraj@uog.edu.gy
Office Number
Upper flat, Biodiversity Building

Education:

  • BSc. (2015), Biology, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana
  • PgDipEd. (2018), Higher Education, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana
  • MS.c. (2021), Biology, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana
  • Ph.D. (2026), Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Biography:

Devya Hemraj-Naraine is a prominent researcher known for her expertise in ichthyology. Her career began as an undergraduate volunteer, working at the National Zoo of Guyana and the Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity, which sparked her passion for field research. Currently, Devya works as an assistant curator at the Centre for the Study of Biological Diversity (CSBD) and as a lecturer within the Department of Biology. Her research focuses on unraveling the complex dynamics within freshwater ecosystems and how they shape fish behavior, morphology, and ecology. A significant aspect of her work involves the emphasis on fish systematics, contributing to the classification and evolutionary comprehension of freshwater fish. This approach provides essential insights into biodiversity and plays a pivotal role in supporting conservation efforts. Devya has also collaborated with numerous international organizations, which ultimately contributes significantly to biological sciences and biodiversity preservation in Guyana.

Teaching:

  • BIO3116: Ichthyology
  • BIO3109: Research Methods in Biology
  • BIO4213: Genomics and Bioinformatics
  • BIO4200: Capstone Research Project
  • BIO4205: Internship

Selected Publications:

  • Morgan, T., Alofs, K., Taphorn, D., Hemraj-Naraine, D., Liverpool, E., Mol, J., Covain, R., Lujan, N., Lopeź- Fernádez, H. in press. Dispersal Across Headwaters Determines Fish Population Structure Between Interdigitating River Systems in the Guiana Shield Highlands. Ecology & Evolution. 10.1002/ece3.73603
  • Huskey, S., Fletcher, K., Kolmann, M., Seiler, S., Kitchen, G., Hemraj-Naraine, D., Dinan, B., & Westneat, M. 2026. Biomechanics, muscle modeling, and the elevated bite force and tooth stress of piranhas. The Science of Nature. 113(22), https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-026-02071-w
  • Hemraj-Naraine, D., Taphorn, D.B., Torres-Pineda, P., Hughes, L., & Kolmann, M.A. 2026. Fish fauna of the upper Canje River (Guyana) with comparison to the Berbice and Corentyne Rivers. Journal of Fish Biology.
  • Hemraj-Naraine, D., Fontenelle, J.P., Acosta, A., Liverpool, E., Lovejoy, N.R., Kolmann, M.A. 2026. A new species of freshwater stingray (Potamotrygoninae: Myliobatiformes) from the Demerara River, Guyana. Neotropical Ichthyology.
  • Kolmann, M.A., Poulin, E., Rosen, J., Hemraj-Naraine, D., Burns, M.D. 2024. Herbivory is not a dead end: ‘imperfect’ morphological convergence in freshwater fishes. Integrative & Comparative Biology
  • Beers, C., Taphorn, D., Hemraj, D., Liverpool, E., Cotel, A., Alofs, M. A. & Lopez-Fernandez. 2022, Fabulous Fishes in the Upper Mazaruni River: A coloring Book.
  • Taphorn, D., Liverpool, E.,Lujan, N., DoNascimiento, C., Hemraj, D.,Crampton, W., Kolmann, M., Fontenelle, J. P., de Souza, L., Werneke, D., Ram, M., Bloom, D.Sidlauskas, B., Holm, E., Lundberg, J., Sabaj, M., Bernard, C.,López-Fernández, H. & Armbruster, J., 2022., “Freshwater Fishes of Guyana”. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
  • Alfred, S., Ram, M., Lakenarine, R., Hemraj, D., Maharaj,G., 2022. Occurrence and characteristics of microdebris in commercial fish species of Guyana, South America, Marine Pollution Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114021.
  • Sabaj, M.H., López-Fernández, H., Willis, S.C., Hemraj, D.D., Taphorn, D.C. and Winemiller, K.O., 2020. Cichla cataractae (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) is, new species of peacock bass from the Essequibo Basin, Guyana and Venezuela. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 167(1), pp.69-86.

Grants/fellowships/ Awards

  • Lebre Medal, University of Louisville, 2026
  • University Fellowship, University of Louisville; 2022-2024; ($22,000/year)
  • Rufford Foundation Small Grant; 2022; £6,000 (Stirling pound), Ecological Diversity of Freshwater Fishes in Canje River, Guyana.
  • UGUFWWF Research Grant Programme: Building human capacity for natural resource management in Guyana; 2020; $2000 (USD), “Habitat structure, morphology and fish assemblage in Blackwater creeks along the Linden Soesdyke Highway, Guyana”