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Vanessa Hull
Assistant Professor, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation vhull@ufl.edu Vanessa received her B.S. in Animal Behavior (minor- Chinese) from Bucknell University and an M.S. and PhD in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University while working at the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability. Vanessa is broadly interested in human-wildlife interactions in coupled human and natural systems. She seeks to find creative ways to bring together diverse disciplines to better understand and manage human-wildlife interactions around the world. Google scholar profile |
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Xiaoxing Bian
PhD student, Interdisciplinary Ecology Xiaoxing earned her B.S. in Biology from Beijing Forestry University and M.S. in Ecology from Beijing Normal University. Her Masters research examined behavioral responses of male giant pandas to conspecific odor stimuli. She has worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society for six years in Tibet, China and is the recipient of a competitive Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Graduate Scholarship. She is passionate about snow leopard conservation and habitat preservation. Her PhD research will examine interactions between snow leopards and human activities in the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve, Tibet, China. Xiaoxing is co-advised by Dr. Madan Oli. Xiaoxing's ResearchGate profile |
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Diane Episcopio-Sturgeon
PhD student, Interdisciplinary Ecology Diane earned her B.S. in Biology from the University of Florida and her M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. Diane’s master’s research examined public support for different methods to manage non-native, invasive species in Florida and is published in Human Dimensions of Wildlife and The Journal of Wildlife Management. Diane’s PhD research examines the human dimensions of big cat conservation. She was a recipient of the U.S. Dept. of Education, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) from the University of Florida. Diane is also passionate about teaching and outreach and has co-facilitated a conservation science course for the Florida Master Naturalist program. Diane's ResearchGate profile |
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Juan Sebastián Restrepo-Cardona
PhD student, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Juan received a B.S. in Biology from the Universidad de Caldas and an M.S. in Biodiversity Conservation and Use from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. His past research concerns the ecology and conservation of the Vulnerable Andean Condor, the Endangered Black-and-chestnut Eagle, and a variety of owl species. Juan is also well connected with agencies such as the National Audubon Society and The Peregrine Fund throughout longtime collaborations. Juan has leadership experience in working as a consultant for conservation projects in Colombia and Chile, and most recently as the Scientific Coordinator of the Andean Condor Foundation in Ecuador. His PhD research will take an interdisciplinary approach to examining the ecology and conservation of raptors in northern Andes and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Juan’s ResearchGate profile |
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Martial Kiki
PhD student, Interdisciplinary Ecology Martial received his B.S. in Environmental Conservation and M.S. in Biodiversity Conservation from the University of Abomey-Calavi in the Republic of Benin, in addition to a postgraduate diploma from WildCRU at the University of Oxford. Martial is the recipient of a Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Graduate Scholarship and Sidney Byers Scholarship for Wildlife Conservation via the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN). He is passionate about the research and conservation of large predators in West Africa. For his PhD work, Martial will examine transboundary interactions between lions, livestock, and pastoralists in the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) complex that spans Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Martial is co-advised by Dr. Madan Oli. |
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Viviana Rojas-Bonzi (Vivi)
PhD student, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Vivi is a biologist from Paraguay who graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Vivi was awarded with the Fulbright scholarship to pursue a Masters degree in the Molecular Ecology Lab at University of Florida working with Dr James Austin. Her Masters research focused on small mammal (rodent) dispersal in sub-saharan Africa, where she worked in Swaziland at the Savannah Research Centre. Vivi returned to her country and worked in several conservation projects led by a national NGO and soon after she became the Species Conservation Program Coordinator. She has been awarded the BECAL Paraguay, WEC and TCD scholarships to pursue her PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a concentration in Tropical Conservation and Development. She incorporates interdisciplinary approaches to link her research to conservation practice and decision making. She is working in the Paraguayan Chaco forest, a deforestation hot-spot, looking to better understand medium and large mammals interactions, their role in shaping the ecosystem and use this information to inform decision making in this human-wildlife system. Vivi is co-advised by Dr. Lyn Branch. Vivi's ResearchGate profile |
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Shelby Shiver
MS student, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Shelby received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Florida. She has worked on a variety of research projects across the country focusing on numerous mammalian species including fox squirrels, river otters, black bears, bobcats, and coyotes. She is currently a Bear Research Biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Her current work is focused on studying the demographics of the Big Cypress bear subpopulation in South Florida. Shelby will continue to work full-time for the FWC while pursuing her degree. Her M.S. research will focus on the spatial ecology of black bears in Florida. |
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Ke Liu
MDP student, Sustainable Development Practice Ke received a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the university of Edinburgh in the UK. After graduating, she taught at a mountain village school in Sichuan, where she developed a keen interest in the natural and cultural landscape of the mountains and plateaus. As a current MDP student in the University of Florida, she aims to contribute to the conservation efforts in western China, and to search for ways to improve the sustainability of local livelihoods. |
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Isaac Coleman
B.S. student, Interdisciplinary Ecology Isaac is a research assistant in his senior year of a B.S. degree, where he is currently participating in secondary research on the impacts of offshore wind energy development on biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico. He has also worked in several coastal and wetland areas on research projects that include coastal resiliency, field data collection on sea turtles and various riparian inhabitants, community outreach, and in-lab transgenic reproductive modeling. He is interested in furthering his knowledge by becoming a graduate student focusing on identifying and quantifying biological interspecies relationships. |