Meet The Members
Background:
Originally, I am from Bangladesh. I am a second-year PhD student. My research focuses on the epidemiology and ecology of zoonotic pathogen spillover from wildlife to humans, especially bats. I use machine learning to understand the pathogen spillover from bats to humans with climate, landscape, and anthropogenic changes over the world.
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Research Area:
Infectious zoonotic disease epidemiology and ecology
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Fun Fact:
Travelling
Connor Hughes (He/Him)
Background:
I received my BS in Natural Resource Conservation in Fish and Wildlife from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2016, where I also received a certificate in Geospatial Technologies. I then completed my Masters of Biology at Austin Peay State University in 2022, where I combined mechanistic and empirical modeling techniques to investigate range wide influences on variation in asymptotic body size of Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum).
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Research Area:
I am a wildlife and spatial ecologist interested in species response to the variability present in a landscape across both in time and space. I am especially interested in the impact and response of species to anthropogenic changes in the environment, such as habitat loss, introduced threats, or changing climate. The basis of my work combines on-the-ground field biology and digital analytical tools like R, Python, and GIS. Doing so provides a better understanding of a species which can be put towards informing landscape management practices and developing actionable species conservation plans. Though I am interested in a wide variety of spatial questions, my primary taxa of interest are amphibians and reptiles, which I have extensive field work experience with and began studying in 2013.
Background:
Pratik is a M.S. student at the Dayer Human Dimensions lab in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech. He is originally from Nepal, and most of his work has focused on small mammals and endangered red pandas in the Himalayas. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Forestry from the Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. During his undergraduate research, he studied the interrelationship between ecotourism and conservation to assess the willingness to pay of visitors for red panda conservation in Eastern Nepal.
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Research Area:
His research interests include Wildlife Conservation and Management, Small mammals and Birds, Human dimensions of Conservation, Ecotourism, Natural Resource Economics, Parks and Protected Areas. As a GRA at the Dayer Human Dimensions lab, he will be working on a research project that aims to empower small landowners in the emerging Bird-Friendly Maple Syrup Market.
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Fun Fact:
He can sleep like red panda even at the day.
Background:
Hello everyone! I was born and raised in the beautiful Appalachians in Roanoke, VA. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia majoring in Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Biological Conservation. I earned my M.Sc. at Virginia Tech under Dr. Marcella Kelly and am continuing my academic journey for my Ph.D. under Marcella.
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Research Area:
I study the population dynamics (i.e. distribution and density) of pumas in Belize, Central America using remote camera trapping.
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Fun Fact:
I am the proud parent of my majestic baby angel cat, Carlos along with my regal dog, Caleb, and finally my goofy pup, Pepper.
Background:
I am from Long Beach, California, and completed my B.S. in Biological Sciences with an emphasize in Wildlife Ecology and Management at Northern Arizona University. I then began working in Belize, Central America where I met Dr. Marcella Kelly and am now her graduate student.
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Research Area:
I am currently studying terrestrial wildlife community dynamics and species richness over a 20 year dataset in multiple study areas in Belize, Central America.
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Fun Fact:
I was a part of Northern Arizona University's track team where I ran the 4x400 and 400 m hurdle races.
Background:
I grew up in South New Jersey in the middle of the Jersey Pine Barrens. I graduated with my BS in Biology from Immaculata University in December of 2022. After spending a year in ecological consulting primarily focused on wetlands and T&E species, I began my masters at Tech in January of 2024.
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Research Area:
​Community Ecology and Wetlands
Background:
Brazilian, Masters in Ecology studying functional and taxonmic composition of fish assemblages in streams and rivers from the Amazon Basiin
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Research Area:
Effects of climate change in inland fisheries in tropical river floodplains
Background:
Priscila is a Brazilian PhD student at Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Her background involves a Bachelor and Teaching Degree in Biological Sciences and Master in Complex Systems Modeling program with extensive experience in interdisciplinary research, with a focus on social-ecological systems. Her main interest is to understand the relationships between human activities and the environment, from a social-ecological perspective, in order to understand how these dynamics can affect conservation policies and local livelihoods. In her thesis she is conducting studies on the environmental and social factors that influence the community-based management of arapaima, as well as the food security of riparian communities involved in this management.
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Research Area:
social-ecological systems​
Background:
I am was formerly a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, and joined FIWGSA in 2019. I study climate change impacts to wildlife disease reservoir distributions!
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Research Area:
I study how anthropocentric activity impacts the ecology and distribution of wildlife species such a the common vampire bat.
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Fun Fact:
I grew up on a horse and donkey farm in East Tennessee
Background:
I am from Bangladesh and completed my undergraduate studies in Fisheries Science at Bangladesh Agricultural University. During my undergraduate studies, I focused on fish ecology and conservation and worked on the effects of microplastics on fish meal and public health. Now, at Virginia Tech for my graduate studies, I am continuing my work in fisheries. I am currently researching the impact of climate change on Bluehead Chub fish embryonic development and hatching success. I’m enjoying my time in graduate school and am excited about the opportunities to further explore these great topics.
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Research Area:
In my research, I am deeply focused on understanding the impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems, particularly through my work with Bluehead Chub fish embryos. My current research investigates how variations in temperature and oxygen levels affect the embryonic development and hatching success of Bluehead Chub. This work aims to reveal how environmental stressors influence early fish development, which is crucial for predicting how climate change may affect fish populations and aquatic biodiversity. My interests extend beyond this specific study to broader questions about how climate change influences marine and freshwater ecosystems. I am also very interested in how these changes impact food security, fisheries sustainability, and the health of coastal communities.​
Background:
Reyhane Rastgoo is a Ph.D. student in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation program at Virginia Tech, working in Dr. Ashley Dayer's Human Dimensions Lab. She earned her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and a master's in Biodiversity Conservation and Management from the University of Tehran, Iran. Her research explores the intersection of conservation and social science, focusing on human-wildlife interactions and the human dimensions of wildlife. As a Graduate Research Assistant, Reyhane will investigate the motivations behind longleaf pine landowners' participation in the Conservation Reserve Program.
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Research Area:
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Human-wildlife Interactions
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Fun Fact:
I enjoy practicing yoga, taking walks to photograph nature (when I first moved to Blacksburg, I posted so much on iNaturalist that I’m pretty sure the app got tired of me!), listening to podcasts, and watching documentaries.
Background:
I'm originally from Dhaka and wear many hats as a father, husband, teacher, and researcher. I previously worked with fishers in the Bay of Bengal, and now focus on studying anglers in the Great Lakes region.
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Research Area:
Fisheries, Human dimensions, Social-ecological Systems, Resource conservation and management, Human behaviors, etc.​