OUR
TEAM
Research in our lab focuses on questions related to community ecology, particularly interactions among species, with a focus on conservation of species and ecosystems. We strive to do a combination of theoretical research and applied research, hoping to find the sweet spot where theory contributes directly to practice.
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To learn more about one of our team members, click their photo!
JOHN POULSEN
Associate Professor of Ecology
VINCENT MAICHER
Post-Doctoral Researcher
AMELIA MEIER
Ph.D. Candidate
GRADEN FROESE
Ph.D. Candidate
ANNA NORDSETH
Ph.D. Student
LEA SELBY
MEM Student, RA
COURTNEY HORNE
MEM Student, RA
KIM MYERS
MEM Student
RUPINDER BAKSHI
MEM Student
ALEX EBANG MBELE
Ecologist
ILARIA CIMADORI
Visiting Scholar
ELIZABETH HOWARD
MEM Student, RA
HANNAH ROYAL
MEM Student
M.C. MURPHY
MEM Student, RA
JULIA WHITTEN
MEM Student, RA
KELLY JOYNER
MEM Student
NIKKI EGNA
MEM Student, RA
WALTER MBAMY
Ecologist
CONNOR DUPREE-SOOD
MEM Student, RA
MICHELLE LEE
Visiting Scientist
IPASSA
CREW
Here are some of the Ipassa Area Guides that have enjoyed (and survived) Gabon's forests with us:
Project ecologist Alex Ebang Mbélé (far bottom left) and driver Jean Ndong (far top right, wearing hat) with paraecologists (far bottom left, standing): Serge Imbomba, Jovin Ebeba Owoula, Eric Nzemfoule, Irma Ngoboutseboue, Sylvain Dzime N’noh, Edouard Mandomobo Mapio, Edouard Mba Edang, Charlotte Bayosa, Aimé-Placide Sergent, Adrienne Allaughe, Serge Ekazama Koto, Martine Bidzime Nkoulou, Lucie Atsame, Blaise Bazza, Jonas Landry Metandou, Christ Nkwele, Sarah Lilia Moudongui, Hervé Gildas Mandou Mabouanga, Clotaire Mossindji, Bonaventure Sala Elie, and Jocelin Edzidzie.
LAB
ALUMNI
PhD GRADUATES
Chase Nuñez, Ph.D '19
Cooper Rosin, Ph.D '17
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS
Sally Koerner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, UNC-Greensboro
Chris Beirne, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Researcher, University of British Columbia
Beth Stein, Ph.D., DigitalGlobe
Vincent Medjibe, Ph.D., COMIFAC
Zewei Miao, Ph.D., Data Analyst, Monsanto
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MASTERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Seokmin Kim MEM '19 | Can Movement Speed Predict Habitat Preference? Assessing the Influence of
Topography, Village Proximity, and Land Cover on Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) Movement and Preferences in Gabon.
Sky Bischoff-Mattson, MEM '19 | Habitat preference and use by the Cougar (Puma concolor)
Ying Wei Jong, MEM '19 | Carbon stocks in northeastern Gabon and policy implications for rubber tree
concessions
James MacCarthy, MEM '18 | Effects of Hunting and Human Disturbance on Wildlife near Villages in
Emily Mills, MEM '17 | Forest Elephant Movements and Habitat Use in a Tropical Forest-Savanna Mosaic in Gabon
Alexis Kovach, MEM '17 | Effects of National Development and Conservation Strategies on Rural Livelihoods
Around Makokou, Gabon
Nina Hamilton, MEM '17 | Local community values and perceptions of natural resource management in northeast
Sarah Moore, MEM '16 | Planning for Palm Oil: Are We Saving Wildlife by Saving Carbon?
Trisha Gopalakrishna, MEM '16 | Constituents and drivers of composition, diversity, and structure of a
Emily Blanchard, MEM '15 | The Effects of Hunting on a Forest Animal Community in Gabon
Ian Markham, MEM '15 | Of Mice and Men in Gabon: Changes in Rodent Communities Associated with Logging
Mark Burton, MEM '14 | Assessing aboveground carbon stocks and forest structure metrics in the Mouila Oil Palm
Arianne Messerman, MEM '14 | Use of nestboxes by the Hellbender salamander in western North Carolina
Ben Carlson, MEM '13 | Gabon's overlooked carbon: A tropical forest study of coarse woody debris