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Kaitlyn Gaynor, PI
Postdoctoral fellow, National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis
PhD, Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, University of California, Berkeley BA, Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University pronouns: she/her, they/them E-mail: gaynor [at] zoology.ubc.ca Google Scholar • Twitter |
My entry point into science was a fascination with animal behaviour, and as I spent more time observing wild animals, I came to realize that so many aspects of their behaviour are shaped by various forms of human disturbance. My interests have since evolved to include the cascading consequences of human disturbance for ecological communities, and the social dimensions of human-wildlife coexistence. My current research program is thus grounded in a fundamental interest in behavioural and community ecology, with an increasingly applied and interdisciplinary focus, and collaboration is my favorite aspect of research. Outside of science, I find joy in cooking vegetables, riding my bike, fostering community, finding new hiking trails, and exploring new cities.
Kwasi Wrensford
Postdoc, Biodiversity Research Centre, UBC
Pronouns: he/him
Email: kwrensfo [at] mail.ubc.ca |
Kwasi Wrensford joined the lab as a Biodiversity Research Centre Postdoc in Fall 2023, funded by a US National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology. Kwasi's work focuses on developing models to predict climate change induced range shifts in a variety of mammalian taxa, as well as deploying a wildlife monitoring program in southern Canada to study variation in bobcat's climate-induced range shifts. Kwasi received his PhD in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, where he studied the role of behaviour in population responses to climate change in two species of chipmunk. Outside of research, Kwasi enjoys exploring the outdoors, cooking, and making music!
See more at Kwasi's website: http://kwrensford.weebly.com/ |
Jenny Green
PhD student, Geography, UBC
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Jenny joined the Gaynor Lab in Fall 2022 as a PhD student in Geography co-advised by Dr. Naomi Schwartz. Her graduate work focuses on human-wildlife interactions and movement ecology. Currently, she is working with the Yosemite National Park Service to analyze black bear behaviour in relation to human presence and infrastructure using GPS collar data. She also intends to explore the movement of other large carnivores throughout California. Her prior experience includes camera trapping to understand human-cougar overlap in Northern California, Sherman-trapping of small mammals in Colorado to study high-altitude ecophysiology, as well as “cluster searching” in Wyoming and California to investigate gray wolf predation patterns. When she’s not in school or in the field she enjoys running, climbing, and attempting to ski!
Pronouns: she/her
Email: jg1121 [at] student.ubc.ca |
Gopal Khanal
PhD student, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, UBC
Pronouns: he/him
Email: gkhanal [at] student.ubc.ca |
Gopal is a PhD student at IRES, UBC. He is interested in understanding the interface between humans and wildlife. His doctoral research seeks to better understand the socio-ecological drivers of livestock depredation by snow leopards, capitalizing on the recent conceptual advances in prey-predator interaction and landscape of fear theories. Before joining UBC, Gopal worked for the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), Government of Nepal for four years as a conservation officer. His prior research engagement encompasses diverse species, including conducting camera trapping surveys of snow leopards to estimate their abundance and distribution, and socio-ecological surveys of river dolphins to understand their responses to anthropogenic factors. Apart from his work, Gopal loves running, hiking, and playing outdoor games.
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Nicholas Wright
PhD student, Zoology, UBC
Pronouns: he/him
Email: nwright5 [at] student.ubc.ca |
Nick joined the lab as a PhD student in Zoology in Fall 2023. He is interested in mammal community ecology, trophic downgrading, and human-wildlife coexistence in African ecosystems. For his graduate research he will study the cascading effects of the reintroduction of African wild dogs on herbivore niche space, vegetation structure, and human livelihoods in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. He has previously done research in a wide range of socio-ecological systems including studying salmon in California, land-use change in Southwestern agricultural communities, and the effect of hunter-gatherer communities on wildlife populations in Tanzania. Nick loves spending time hiking, playing board games, discovering obscure animal facts, and hanging out with his dog.
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Katie Grabowski
PhD student, Zoology, UBC
Pronouns: she/her
Email: katie.grabowski [at] ubc.ca |
Katie joined the lab as a PhD student in Zoology in 2024. She is interested in understanding how ecosystems are affected by anthropogenic disturbance, and how restoration can facilitate their recovery. For her graduate research, she will use camera traps to explore how large carnivore reintroductions have reshaped the mesocarnivore community at Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in Mozambique following a civil conflict that resulted in reduced large carnivore populations. Before coming to UBC, Katie earned her MSc in Biology at McGill University, where she studied mangrove community ecology. She also earned her MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford, where she began her study of the mesocarnivore communities at GNP. Outside of academia, she has worked in a variety of conservation education roles, both outside and in the classroom. Apart from research, she enjoys swimming, hiking, making delicious vegan food, and spending time with her dog, Charlie.
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Catarina Coelho
PhD student, Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Algarve
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Catarina is a PhD student based at the University of Algarve, Portugal, and is co-advised by Dr. Susana Carvalho. She is a recipient of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia PhD fellowship. With an academic background in biology and ecology, Catarina has focused her research on animal behaviour and ecological interactions. During her Masters research, she examined sexual segregation in red deer, deepening her interest in the behavioural ecology of large mammals. Her longstanding fascination with primate behaviour and cognition led her to pursue a PhD project that merges this passion with her background in ungulates. Conducted in Gorongosa National Park, she will explore the sympatric interactions between wild baboons and ungulate species, investigating foraging strategies, dietary seasonality, niche partitioning, and behavioural interactions. Through this study, she aims to shed light into the complex ecological dynamics of these species within a diverse and seasonal ecosystem, and potentially model how hominins and ungulates once shared space.
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Sofia Nhalungo
MSc student, Biodiversity Management and Conservation, UEM
Pronouns: she/her/ela
E-mail: sofia.nhalungo [at] gmail.com |
Sofia André Nhalungo is a Masters student in Biodiversity Management and Conservation at Eduardo Mondlane University, in Maputo, Mozambique, supervised by Dr. Valério Macandza and co-supervised by Kaitlyn. She is studying the flight behaviour and population structure of impala in hunting and ecotourism areas in Niassa Special Reserve. Her studies are funded by the Mozambique Conservation Leadership Programme, implemented by the Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation, which has the main objective of attracting and motivating talented young people to conserve biodiversity in the country. Before starting the Masters degree, under the same programme, Sofia was the beneficiary of a 1-year professional internship at the institution responsible for managing biodiversity in Mozambique (National Administration of Conservation Areas), where she worked on the licensing of trophy hunting and where the inspiration for her Masters thesis came from. In addition to studying and working, she enjoys spending time at church, listening to music, and reading Christian books.
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Sophie Van Cuylenborg
Honours Undergraduate Researcher
Pronouns: she/her
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Sophie Van Cuylenborg joined the Gaynor lab in winter of 2024 as an honours undergraduate student studying biology with a specialization in ecology. Her research interests include conservation and management of terrestrial mammals specifically human-wildlife conflict and coexistence. Her research in the lab focuses on the effects of the reintroduction of large mammals on predator-prey interactions in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. Outside of research, Sophie loves anything outdoors from skiing to backpacking and trying new baking recipes (with a speciality in banana bread!)
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Lucas Braun
Honours Undergraduate Researcher
Pronouns: he/him
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Lucas joined the Gaynor lab in the spring of 2024 as an honours undergraduate in ecology. His passion for wildlife was fostered throughout his upbringing near the Canadian Rockies, where he got to witness firsthand the intersection of conservation efforts and recreation within protected areas. Lucas is working with the National Park Service in Yosemite to better understand American black bear populations in popular tourist areas. His work will include examining black bear movement, incidents with humans, and potential predictors for bear conflict. Outside of research and his coursework, Lucas enjoys reading, hiking, climbing, skiing, and just doing silly things outdoors.
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Beto Tenente
Research Associate
Pronouns: he/him/ele
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Beto Soares Campaunde Tenente is a Research Associate affiliated with the Gaynor Lab, holding a primary appointment in the Pringle Lab at Princeton University. In his work with the Gaynor Lab, Beto leads the fieldwork for WildCam Gorongosa, our long-running camera trap program in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. Beto has a degree in Forestry Engineering, a postgraduate degree in Management of Development Projects in NGOs, and was part of the second class of the Masters in Conservation Biology in GNP. His passion is conservation and restoration of biodiversity and natural ecosystems, especially terrestrial ecosystems. His plans for the future are to continue to work on monitoring biodiversity restoration and ecosystem changes, and interactions between species. Beto would also like to contribute to biodiversity management programs looking at the development of communities residing in and around conservation areas.
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Bilal Bartaai
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Pronouns: he/him
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Bilal Bartaai joined the lab as an undergraduate student in Winter 2024. He is an environmental science major concentrating in ecology and conservation. Bilal’s fascination with the natural and environmental sciences stems from a young age and has manifested itself as an interest in the field as a career. Bilal has previously worked with Parks Canada in Southern Resident Killer Whale conservation efforts, primarily focusing on public-facing messaging and outreach. His future research aspirations include forays into desert ecology and integrating intersectionality into scientific research efforts. Outside of school, Bilal enjoys a good book, running, shopping for records, and watching sitcoms.
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Sarah Sun
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Pronouns: she/they
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Sarah Sun joined the lab as a Work-Learn research assistant in the Summer of 2024. She is a first-year undergraduate science student at UBC. Sarah is particularly interested in how behavioural dynamics between species shift in response to changes in environment, such as various levels of human activity and the introduction or reintroduction of other species. She was initially introduced to the Gaynor lab's work through the WildCam Gorongosa project on Zooniverse, and is excited to continue helping with similar projects. In her free time, Sarah enjoys drawing, community science, finding new music, and visiting parks (and looking for frogs!).
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Paxton Lin
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Pronouns: he/him
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Paxton Lin joined the lab as a research assistant in the Summer of 2024. He is a second-year undergraduate student in Ecology at UBC. He has been passionate about ecology since high school, especially on how human activity affects forest biodiversity and pest infestations. He has volunteered at his local Salmon hatchery and has learned to appreciate the ecosystems in the surrounding watershed and within the bodies of water. He hopes to contribute to work regarding species interactions and learn how abiotic and biotic factors impact species diversity alongside their spread. Outside of school, Paxton loves backpacking, running, and staying active outside.
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Jack D'Souza
Undergraduate Research Assistant
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Jack D'Souza joined the lab an an undergrad in fall 2024, working with Nick Wright to study behavioural responses of African ungulates to simulated predator cues. He is a biology student specializing in ecology. He's always been a fan of the outdoors, backpacking, canoeing and hiking, which has informed his research interests. He works as a park ranger in Maine conserving and maintaining Eagle Island, a critical nesting habitat for eider ducks. In his free time Jack enjoys exploring the outdoors, cooking, reading and whittling.
Pronouns: he/him |
Harvir Lochab
Undergraduate Research Assistant
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Harvir Lochab joined the Gaynor lab in the winter of 2025 as a Work-Learn research assistant. He is a third-year undergraduate student at UBC majoring in Applied Animal Biology, with a strong interest in animal behavior. Being from Nairobi, Kenya, Harvir developed a deep appreciation for wildlife and the intricate ways animals interact with their environments. His experience volunteering at a local cat shelter has further strengthened his interest in observing animal behavior, from social dynamics to individual quirks. Outside of research, Harvir enjoys reading, playing his guitar, and making silly little crafts.
Pronouns: he/him |
Alvar Annersten
Undergraduate Research Assistant
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Alvar joined the lab as work learn undergraduate in the spring of 2025. He is a second-year environmental science student specializing in ecology and conservation. Alvar grew up in Sweden and spent his 20s travelling across many parts of the world. It was during his travels that he developed an interest in ecology. Alvar hopes to further explore how anthropogenic disturbances impact ecosystems. Outside of academics, he enjoys highlining, rock climbing, snowboarding, and playing music.
Pronouns: he/him |
FORMER LAB MEMBERS
Gaurav Singh-Varma
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Tiffany Taketa
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