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!

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
Amelia Meier, Ph.D '21

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
 

• Claudia Meca van der Berg MEM ‘21 | Analyzing landscape connectivity for Felidae in Oaxaca given current and potential community land use trends

• Annika Socha, Ben Newman, Jack Alcorn Katie Krejsa, B MEM ’21 | Informing REDD+ Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) Project Development in the SAVA Region, Madagascar

• Hannah Royal, MEM ’20 | Management of an imperiled reptile on a barrier island: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)

• Kelly Joyner, MEM ’20 | Management of an imperiled reptile on a barrier island: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)

• Rupinder Bakshi, MEM ’20 | Investigating human-carnivore conflict dynamics and compensation payment processes in a landscape of coexistence

• Kaitlin Saxton, MEM ’20 | Comparison of methods for surveying white-tailed deer in the Duke Forest

• 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 Northeastern Gabon

• 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 Gabon

• 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 Congolese forest 

• 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 and Hunting

• Mark Burton, MEM '14 | Assessing aboveground carbon stocks and forest structure metrics in the Mouila Oil Palm Concession Lot 2, Gabon

• 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