Jesse Alston

Big data and rapidly improving statistical and computational tools are enabling researchers to answer previously unanswerable questions. I use these emerging tools to quantify the mechanisms that dictate how large mammals interact with each other and their environments, then apply that knowledge to conservation practice. My research program integrates movement ecology, thermal physiology, remote sensing, and conservation science to characterize how and why animals move across the landscapes they inhabit, identify data-driven pathways for wildlife-livestock coexistence, and develop new approaches for conserving wildlife and ecosystems. In my international work, I work to build in-country conservation capacity by partnering with local organizations and students.

I grew up in Littleton, North Carolina (pop. ~500), went to Davidson College for a BA in Environmental Studies (Economics minor), received my PhD in Ecology (Statistics minor) in the Goheen lab at the University of Wyoming, and did postdoctoral research in the Calabrese lab at the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding in Germany. I am now an Assistant Professor in the Wildlife Conservation and Management program in the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. When I am not science-ing, I am usually reading (favorite genre: westerns), watching the Green Bay Packers, or exploring nature with my family. Favorite mammal: Pseudois nayaur

Click here for my CV. Click here for my Google Scholar profile.

Brett Blum

Brett has a full-time job as director of the Southern Arizona Experiment Station, and is also pursuing a PhD in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, where he is studying pathways for improving wildlife conservation alongside livestock production. Brett is originally from Flagstaff, Arizona, and completed his BSc and MSc in the wildlife program in SNRE, where he focused on bighorn sheep in the Santa Catalinas. Brett is one of the world’s top ten or so experts on Coues’ deer, and his limited free time is often spent searching Arizona’s open spaces for them (and other large mammals) with his wife and daughters in tow (or increasingly, vice versa). Favorite mammal: Nasua narica

Click here for Brett’s CV.

Celine Wandia Karoki

Celine is an MSc student in Environmental Science at Kenyatta University, where she is studying patterns of livestock depredation in Laikipia, Kenya. Celine grew up in Kajiado County, Kenya, and received her BSc in Environmental Studies from Karatina University. In addition to her MSc work, she has a full-time job as an outreach officer for the Laikipia-Samburu Wild Dog Project. When she is not studying or coordinating social media campaigns, Celine tries to spend her time outdoors or traveling, although a recent addition to her family is curtailing those activities these days. Favorite mammal: Lycaon pictus

Click here for Celine’s CV.

Eduardo Gracia Escalante

Eduardo is an MSc student in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, where he is studying the impacts of the US-Mexico border wall on the mammal community of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Pinacate Biosphere Reserve. Eduardo grew up in Hermosillo, Sonora, and received his BSc in Biology from Universidad de Sonora before working as a wildlife technician in northern Sonora and restoration technician for Borderlands Restoration Network in Patagonia, AZ. When he is not exploring nature, Eduardo enjoys gardening, reading, and cooking. También le gusta ayudar a otros a aprender español. Favorite mammal: Leopardus pardalis

Click here for Eduardo’s CV.

Olivia Guswiler

Olivia is a research scientist and MSc student in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, where she is studying the influence of outdoor recreation on wildlife in the Altar Valley southwest of Tucson. Originally from Michigan, Olivia obtained her BSc in Zoology from Michigan State University. She made her first trek to Tucson to study predator-prey interactions between southern grasshopper mice (Onychomys torridus) and Arizona bark scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus). Before joining the lab, she also worked for NEON on the Santa Rita Experimental Range and has worked for the last several years as a lab coordinator for a large neuroscience lab on campus. Outside of research, she enjoys backpacking, cross-country road trips, creating stained glass, knitting, and crocheting. Favorite mammal: Macrotis lagotis

Click here for Olivia’s CV.

George LeGrange Opiyo

George is an MSc student at Karatina University and research technician at Mpala Research Centre, where he works for the UHURU experiment and studies the movement behavior and habitat selection of rufous sengis (Galegeeska rufescens). He is a master small mammal handler, having worked with the National Museums of Kenya for years before starting work at Mpala. George grew up in Kisumu, Kenya, and received his BSc in Natural Resources and Wildlife Management at Karatina University. In his free time, he hones his basketball skills (modeling his game after Kevin Durant) and is known to wake up at 4 am to watch NBA playoff games. Favorite mammal: Tragelaphus imberbis

Click here for George’s CV.

Owino Otieno Raymond

Raymond is a PhD student in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Arizona, where he is studying the ecology and conservation of reticulated giraffes and Guenther’s dik-diks, among other species. Raymond grew up in several different towns throughout Kenya and received his BSc in Wildlife Management at Maasai Mara University and MSc in Biology of Conservation from University of Nairobi. Raymond has an impressive track record in conservation already, having received several highly competitive awards including the Conservation Leadership Programme, the American Society of Mammalogists’ African Research Fellowship, and the Society for Conservation Biology’s Graduate Student Research Fellowship. In his free time, he enjoys meeting new people, learning new languages and cultures, cooking, tennis, and photography. Fun fact: Raymond has traveled to all but three counties in Kenya. Favorite mammal: Mellivora capensis

Click here for Raymond’s CV. Click here to read a Q&A on Raymond’s work from the SCB, and here for one from WildLabs.

Brian Sanchez-Fishback

Brian is an undergraduate student in Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of Arizona, where he worked with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to estimate coyote densities on Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in 2023-2024 and is now assisting on our efforts to map wildlife presence across the Tucson metropolitan area. Brian grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and worked as an Arabic linguist for the Navy before coming to UA. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, hunting, hiking, camping, collecting insects, and birding. He also plays the banjo. Favorite mammal: Antilocapra americana

Click here for Brian’s CV.

Natalie Shillito

Natalie is an undergraduate student in Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of Arizona, where she is assisting on the various camera trapping projects being led by members of the research group. She is from Parker, Arizona, a small town along the Colorado River. In her free time, she enjoy birding, hiking, nature photography, drawing, scrapbooking, and crafting (“basically, anything that involves me using my hands and materials to make something new”). Favorite mammal: Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Click here for Natalie’s CV.

Yekson Tabuni

Yekson is an undergraduate student in Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of Arizona, where he is assisting on the various camera trapping projects being led by members of the research group. He is from West Papua, Indonesia. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, rugby, and volleyball. Favorite mammal: Panthera leo

Click here for Yekson’s CV.

Joao Weisshaupt

Joao is an undergraduate student in Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of Arizona, where she is assisting on our efforts to map wildlife presence across the Tucson metropolitan area. Joao grew up in southern Germany, and did many handy things (mechanic work, farm labor, etc.) before coming to UA. In her free time, she enjoys restoring old furniture and vintage cars, as well as thrifting, cooking, and baking. She also plays the clarinet and trumpet. Favorite mammal: Erinaceus europaeus

Click here for Joao’s CV.