Scholarship Program

Caroline Nkamunu Patita is planning to use her scholarship to pursue an MPhil in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge. She is a Masaai community leader, and she has already played a key role in creating innovative programs to reduce and mitigate human-wildlife conflict, to support resilient co-existence, and to combat climate change. After earning her degree, Caroline’s goal is to create a network of Indigenous communities to build capacity to access resources and technical support to improve community-based conservation, livelihoods, and biodiversity protection through new financing models, such as carbon credits. She intends to frame her work around the conservation of giraffe, collecting data to inform the giraffe national conservation strategy. She firmly believes that sharing incentives with communities will lead to increasing land under conservation and in turn increase giraffe population and slowing the rate of extinction. Nominated by Dr. Paula Kahumbu of WildlifeDirect (Whitley Award recipient).

Awarded the Pat J. Miller Scholarship

Location: Kenya
University: University of Cambridge

Daniel Sempebwa is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague. His intended thesis topic will focus on anthropogenic activities around chimpanzee habitats as stress factors in the Albertine Rift region, and their role in the transmission of zoonotic intestinal parasites among chimpanzees, humans, and livestock, through measuring the helminth worm burden in chimpanzees. As a wildlife health professional, this will provide more information on the risks of infectious diseases that pose a significant and growing threat to the health, well-being, and long-term viability of wild primate populations. After completing his degree, Daniel plans to work to promote ecosystem health at the human-domestic wildlife interface through, for example, broadening livestock treatment programs, expanding access to vaccines for domestic animals, and developing policies for all chimpanzee sites to adhere to health monitoring guidelines. Nominated by Paul Hatanga of WCS Uganda – who was himself a 2020 WCN Scholarship recipient.

Awarded the Plum Foundation Vet Scholarship

Location: Uganda
University: Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague

Devavrat Pawar will use his scholarship to complete his PhD at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, which he began in 2020. With a particular focus on tigers, Devavrat’s research investigates the mechanisms that enable ungulates and large carnivores to successfully utilize resources within habitats that have been disturbed by humans. Ultimately, this knowledge will help us better understand co-adaptation of humans and large mammals, refine wildlife estimation methodologies, highlight the importance of communities in wildlife conservation, and contribute to strategic conservation planning. In the longer term, Devavrat hopes to contribute to building conservation programs that help reconcile goals of wildlife conservation and sustainable development. He plans to focus his work in India’s human-dominated landscapes in the Terai (the foothills of the Himalayas) and beyond, where several million people co-occur with or live in proximity to wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Pranav Chanchani of WWFIndia.

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: India
University: University of Wageningen in the Netherlands

Eric Niyonkuru is planning to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in wildlife health and management through the Department of Clinical Studies at the University of Nairobi. For his thesis topic, he plans to focus on the assessment of respiratory infections in the population of endangered golden monkeys around Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. After completing his degree, Eric aims to use the skills and knowledge acquired during his program a) to monitor and manage disease outbreaks among the wild animal population in and around Volcanoes National Park; b) to contribute to the veterinary unit wildlife health and treatment; c) to improve disease surveillance and carry out investigations on relevant diseases; d) to establish a health database of primates, including mountain gorillas and chimpanzees; e) to develop and implement park health and safety policies, strategies, guidelines, regulations and procedures; f) to train other wildlife veterinarians, interns, and students; g) to analyze research data in and around national parks in Rwanda; and h) to provide scientific and technical advice for orphaned primates and confiscated wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Olivier Nsengimana of the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association.

Awarded the Vet Scholarship

Location: Rwanda
University: University of Nairobi

Esther Nosazeogie is planning to use her scholarship to undertake a PhD at Stony Brook University. Esther has been the volunteer communications manager at SMACON-Africa (Small Mammal Conservation Organization, who joined WCN at the Fall 2021 Virtual Expo) and is currently a research officer at the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research. For her doctoral studies, she intends to study the feeding ecology of seabirds in the coastal and offshore waters in Nigeria. She will then use this data to determine priority sites for at-sea conservation of seabirds, especially the endangered Cape Gannet, as well as to contribute to the sustainable management of local fisheries. She hopes to engage local fishers as citizen scientists to collect data on Nigerian seabirds – data for which has not been updated since the 1970s. Her goal is to work with local coastal communities, policymakers, conservation nonprofits like BirdLife to develop the first-ever action plan for the conservation of coastal/marine birds in Nigeria, especially those species that are endangered. Nominated by Dr. Iroro Tanshi of the University of Benin (Whitley Award winner).

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: Nigeria
University: Stony Brook University

Francis Lopeyok Charles Lenantiri plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at Kenyatta University, focusing on the influence of community-based conservation on community empowerment and using the community conservancies of northern Kenya as case studies. He was born and raised in the Lekurruki community conservancy in northern Kenya and wants to work to drive conservation forward as his community’s key economy and livelihood practice. After completing his degree, Francis plans to continue to work for the Northern Rangelands Trust to spearhead water programs across communities in northern and eastern Kenya, with a focus on water for people, livestock, and wildlife, especially the northern black rhino and elephant. His ultiamte goals will be to develop functioning water infrastructure across member conservancies for schools, clinics, villages, livestock, and wildlife, and to have functioning conservancy water governance. Nominated by Dr. Kieran Avery of the Northern Rangelands Trust (Tusk-supported conservationist).

Awarded the Handsel Scholarship

Location: Kenya
University: Kenyatta University

Guadalupe Verta will use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on developing approaches that integrate biological and social science disciplines to answer questions related to human wildlife coexistence and to the reduction of human impacts on ecosystems, such as resource extraction, introduction of new species, and climate change. In particular, she plans to explore the impact of fences on ungulate movement and landscape connectivity, using ecological and social science tools for the conservation of large mammals on private lands – which is especially critical in Patagonia, where the vast majority of the land is privately owned – and informing management decisions with interdisciplinary science. She will focus her research on the Andean cat, southern viscacha, and cougar, though her work will impact many wildlife species across Patagonia. Nominated by Dr. Andres Novaro of WCS Argentina.

Awarded the Plum Foundation Scholarship

Location: Argentina
University: University of California, Berkeley

Guilherme Alvarenga will use his scholarship towards the completion of his doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. He is working to develop the first empirical landscape assessment of jaguar population connectivity across the entire geographical range of the species, with the goals of a) producing a large-scale analysis of jaguar habitat use throughout the species’ distribution, determining what regions are and will be impacted by anthropogenic activities, and b) at a local scale, characterizing human-carnivore interactions and developing strategies to support the implementation of ecological corridors for jaguars in partnership with local communities. He expects his PhD outcomes to drive political and field-based conservation actions, and he aims to participate actively in those, while also ensuring that local communities continue to have a voice. Nominated by Dr. Carlos Durigan of WCS Brazil.

Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship

Location: Brazil
University: University of Oxford

Hamere Kelemework plans to use her scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Sassari in Italy. For her thesis, she will collaborate with the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (WCN Partner) to analyze existing data sets to find ways to improve the success of trapping Ethiopian wolves for vaccination, health follow-up, and ongoing vaccination monitoring. She will assess a) Ethiopian wolf captures and field immobilization, b) drivers of trapping success, and c) trapability (by age, sex, and as affected by pack size and territory size) in order to evaluate the safety of various methods, impact on animal well-being, best practices, and to predict capture probabilities (by age, sex, etc.) for planning disease interventions. In the longer term, as a veterinarian and conservationist, her ambition is to see conservation translocations and well-designed breeding programs put into action with endangered species like Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf, Grevy’s zebra, Osgood’s Ethiopian toad, and the Ethiopian amphibious rat. As a veterinarian, she plans to help with animal health follow-up and genetic studies for designing smart breeding modes, with the goal that no species go extinct in Ethiopia. Nominated by Kumara Wakjira Gemeda, director of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority.

Awarded the Vet Scholarship

Location: Ethiopian
University: University of Sassari in Italy

Isabela Mascarenhas plans to use her scholarship to pursue her PhD at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, focusing on developing plans for active conservation management to protect the endangered buffy-tufted-ear marmoset. Her research will establish a model based on IUCN guidelines for translocations and reintroductions by identifying potential pathogens and associated risks present in captive and wild populations of this species. The outcome of her study will establish a disease risk and prevention protocol for the animals that are candidates for release, considerations for zoonotic pathogens, and guidelines for minimizing the risk of introducing new pathogens into the destination area. She also hopes to reinforce the work of environmental education with the local communities, where there is the potential for zoonotic disease transmission. Nominated by Dr. Fabiano Melo, professor at the Federal University of Viçosa and IUCN regional vice-chair for Brazil and Guianas of the Primate Specialist Group.

Awarded the Vet Scholarship

Location: Brazil
University: Universidade Federal de Viçosa

Kevin Lunzalu will use his scholarship to complete his master’s in Coastal Science & Policy at UC Santa Cruz. His research is centered on the interlink between marine pollution and sea turtle hatchling populations along the Kenyan Coast. He is analyzing the impact of marine plastics on the nesting percentage of three sea turtle species that have been documented to nest on Diani Beach, a popular tourist destination in Kenya: green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, and olive ridley sea turtles. Recent studies point towards the fact that eggs may represent the most vulnerable stage for sea turtles since their survival is dependent on several external environmental factors, and increased accumulation of microplastics in nesting sites could significantly reduce hatching success. After completing his degree, Kevin plans to work with WCS, the Kwale County government, beach management units, tourism companies, hoteliers, and local communities on a long-term project to safeguard insitu nesting sites from microplastics, marine debris, and other development-related stressors. Nominated by Dr. Nyawira Muthiga, the director of WCS Kenya’s Marine Program.

Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship

Location: Kenya
University: University of California, Santa Cruz

Leandre Murhula plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at the Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain. He plans to focus his research on the prevalence and disease risk assessment of tuberculosis in Grauer’s Gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park using a One Health approach – meaning he will look at the disease rates in gorillas (both habituated and non-habituated), local livestock herds, and humans that live in the area. After completing his master’s degree, Leandre plans to continue working with the Centre de Recherche en Science Naturelles, Lwiro in their newly opened molecular biology lab, using his new skills to continue to study tuberculosis and also to open a line of research focused on the consumption of bushmeat and the risk of emerging infectious diseases linked to great ape conservation. Nominated by Dr. Deo Kujirakwinja of WCS’ Eastern DRC Program.

Awarded the Vet Scholarship

Location: DRC
University: Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas of Spain

Lucas Mendes Barreto plans to use his scholarship to pursue a PhD at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, focusing on conservation of the giant armadillo in the Atlantic Forest in the Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He plans to examine strategies to maintain viable populations and meta populations and to evaluate the consequences of isolation and fragmentation of rare, large mammals that occur at low density, using the giant armadillo as a case study. In the longer term, Lucas’ goal is to implement an extensive ecological corridor, in partnership with local communities, between the strips of habitat fragments of the Atlantic Forest to increase the carrying capacity and ensure a viable population of giant armadillos and other wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Arnaud Desbiez of the Wild Animal Conservation Institute (Whitley Award recipient).

Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship

Location: Brazil
University: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil

María Elena Carbajal will use her scholarship to complete her master’s in sociology at the University of Barcelona. Her thesis project focuses on analyzing the social and cultural habits that lead people to buy and sell wild animals or their body parts, with a particular focus on Andean bears and jaguars. Through qualitative interviews and ethnographic research in Peru’s primary markets and hotspots of sale, she will identify the main demand trends and propose social, communicative and legal strategies to reduce them. In addition to generating scientific data, her goal is to produce and documentary and accompanying website to reach and wider audience and encourage citizens themselves to contribute to reducing this crime. Her longer term goal is to understand the social dynamics behind the main environmental crises and illegal activities in order to work to modify behaviors. Nominated by Dr. Mariana Montoya of WCS Peru.

Awarded the WCN-WCS Joint Scholarship

Location: Peru
University: University of Barcelona

Muhammad Asif will be using his scholarship to pursue a master’s in statistical ecology at University of St Andrews, focusing his research on snow leopard population and conflict dynamics, with an aim to apply his knowledge to snow leopard conservation in his hometown of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan through the Snow Leopard Trust’s Pakistan Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program. Pakistan itself has a dearth of conservation scientists, and without reliable data on wildlife species, conservation is ineffective. This degree will allow Asif to bridge the gap in his own knowledge between biology and statistics and apply these skills to wildlife conservation in his home country, where it is sorely needed. Following his degree, he plans to conduct robust population estimates in his home region and to work with local communities on alternative livelihood opportunities so there is less reliance on livestock for income generation. Nominated by Dr. Charudutt Mishra of the International Snow Leopard Trust (Whitley Award recipient).

Awarded a Sydney Byers Scholarship

Location: Pakistan
University: University of St Andrews

Nelson Mwangi Gathuku will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at Colorado State University. The focus of his dissertation is the drivers of elephant space use in a changing landscape – he is looking at what factors influence this (environmental, elephant herd structure, and human), with the goal being to use that data to inform landscape planning, mitigate human-elephant conflict, and ensure human-elephant coexistence across a changing landscape in Kenya and a broader Africa. After finishing his doctoral program, Nelson plans to continue working with Save the Elephants, using the findings from his degree to implement the protection of key corridors and elephant use areas across the ecosystem in cooperation with local governments and communities. Nominated by Frank Pope of Save the Elephants.

Awarded the Sidney Byers Scholarship

Location: Kenya
University: Colorado State University

Pallabi Chakraborty is planning to use her scholarship to pursue a PhD at the University of Florida, focusing on understanding ecological and anthropogenic drivers of human–elephant conflict in the Kodagu landscape of Karnataka, India, with the goal of ultimately reducing the negative impacts of conflict on both local communities and elephants. She plans to continue working in this landscape after the completion of her degree, doing community-based conservation to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Her aim to to conduct conservation education, training, and engagement activities for village leaders, coffee and tea estate workers, farmers, school teachers, women, school children, and front-line forest staff. She also hopes to be able to offer mental health counseling services to those who have had traumatic and stressful encounters with elephants, in order to help them recover. Nominated by Dr. Purnima Barman of Aaranyak (Whitley Award recipient).

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: India
University: University of Florida

Prince Pascal Agro is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He plans to focus his dissertation on population dynamics and the use of local conservation agreements to conserve populations and habitats of two pangolin species, the white-bellied pangolin and the black-bellied pangolin, in the Asukese Forest in Ghana. Pascal has already started his own NGO, Alliance for Pangolin Conservation, Ghana, and he plans to use the results of his PhD to engage and encourage forest fringe communities to collaboratively structure and adopt local conservation agreements (bylaws) to address wildlife-related misconducts at the community level, and to work with national and local wildlife authorities to develop and implement an action plan for the species. Nominated by Prof. Edward Debrah Wiafe, PhD, of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development in Ghana.

Awarded the Sydney Byers Scholarship

Location: Ghana
University: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Rochelle Mphetlhe will be using her scholarship to complete her master’s program at the University of Cape Town. Her research aims to quantify the changes in abundance of raptor species in northern Botswana in recent years, with a particular focus on vultures, which are the most endangered of all raptor species in Botswana. Threats to raptor species include scavenging on poison-laced carcasses – both from farmers who poison carcasses of livestock they have lost to predators, and from poachers who poison carcasses of species such as elephants, to stop raptors from alerting wildlife authorities to their illegal activities. Rochelle’s goals are to continue filling gaps in data and knowledge related to raptor conservation, teach communities about the value of raptors, and to work with farmers on non-lethal methods of dealing with problematic predators. Nominated by Dr. Glyn Maude of Kalahari Research & Conservation Botswana (Rufford Foundation funding recipient).

Awarded the Sydney Byers Scholarship

Location: Botswana
University: University of Cape Town

Saliza Awang Bono will use her Scholarship to complete her doctoral degree at the University of Kyoto. Her research focuses on the acoustic ecology of small cetaceans – specifically the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and Irrawaddy dolphin – in northwest Peninsular Malaysia in relation to environmental and anthropogenic pressures. Saliza plans to return to MareCet after completing her PhD to develop a comprehensive conservation-based bioacoustics program, which will investigate and explore how manmade noise impacts marine animals. This information can then be used to address bycatch issues and better protect these species. Saliza’s goal is to have noise pollution recognized by the Malaysian government in the coming years as a threat to marine mammals, and to have that drive policy change around boating guidelines. She also plans to incorporate bioacoustic programming into MareCet’s educational tours, giving more people exposure to this topic. Nominated by Dr. Louisa Ponnampalam of MareCet.

Awarded the Plum Foundation Scholarship

Location: Malaysia
University: University of Kyoto

Samuel Njuki Mahiga will be using his scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Nairobi, focusing on the seasonal dynamics in feeding and ranging ecology of the critically endangered mountain bongo. After completing his PhD, he plans to continue working with the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy to enhance community awareness and empowerment programs by collaborating with community forest associations to develop nature-based socioeconomic livelihood programs, like bee farming, fish farming and ecotourism. Njuki also plans to continue running school outreach project to inspire and train the next generation of wildlife conservationists by providing the opportunity for young people to participate in activities to learn about protecting mountain bongos and other wildlife. Nominated by Dr. Robert Aruho of the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: Kenya
University: University of Nairobi

Samundra Ambuhang Subba plans to use his scholarship towards a doctoral program at the University of Newcastle, with a focus on large carnivore ecology – specifically, the snow leopard, wolf, and lynx species in the western Himalayas – and how these species a) interact with local communities and b) are impacted by climate change. In the longer term, his goal is to continue working in the conflict-prone and climate refuge hotspots of the western Himalayan landscape, targeting highly exposed Indigenous/ marginalized communities. He hopes to restore these crucial habitats by implementing early warning prevention systems, awareness programs, predator-proof corrals, and introducing sustainable finance and livestock insurance mechanisms. He also has ambitious plans to bring in cutting-edge modern technologies like custom-built drones to facilitate wildlife monitoring and conservation activities. Nominated by Dr. Ghana S. Gurung of WWF Nepal.

Awarded the Pat J. Miller Scholarship

Location: Nepal
University: University of Newcastle

Singira Parsais plans to use his scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, focusing his thesis on assessing the population status and habitat use of African wild dogs in Selous Game Reserve. Selous holds a significant population of the species; however, the most recent study was conducted thirty years ago, and there has been no recent update on the species’ population status and habitat use in the ecosystem since then. Current data is essential to informing effective conservation of the population – without it, wild dog populations may be led into extinction without management awareness. After completing his degree, Singira plans to continue working with the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority as head ecologist for Selous, using the results of his master’s degree to better manage wild dogs and other wildlife, both in Selous and elsewhere in Tanzania. Nominated by Dr. Amy Dickman, co-CEO of Lion Landscapes.

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: Tanzania
University: Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology

Sinomar Ferreira da Fonseca, Junior will use his scholarship to complete his PhD at the University of Florida. He is focusing on developing strategies to mobilize Indigenous people to confront infrastructure projects in the Amazon and the associated need for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). In the Brazilian Amazon, Indigenous people have seen their lands and cultures jeopardized for infrastructure projects that have moved forward without FPIC. The result is the persistence of social inequalities and governance decisions that threaten their territory and culture. After finishing his PhD, Sinomar plans to pursue a participatory evaluation of conservation actions with the local Parintintin people, to better address their conservation needs, including income generation through tourism, engaging local aldeijas (villages), and expanding agroforesty system and biodiversity monitoring. His work will focus on the yellow-spotted river turtle and red-rumped agouti, which are considered both protein sources and income sources. Both species are declining in areas surrounding the Parintintin aldeias. Nominated by Dr. Ricardo Assis Mello of WWF Brazil.

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: Brazil
University: University of Florida

Sophia Jingo will use her scholarship to complete her master’s degree at Makerere University. She is focusing on understanding poacher decision making and the impact of community-based intervention on human-wildlife interaction around Murchison Falls National Park. Subsistence poaching is the main type of poaching in this landscape, carried out with locally available materials such as spears, wheel traps, snares and pitfall traps. Though set to catch herbivores, snares are indiscriminate, and other species, often lions, can be trapped and killed. After completing her degree, Sophia plans to work with key partners such as the Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Geographic, and the European Union to formulate a master plan for addressing subsistence poaching at a national level and reduce local people’s reliance on poaching by providing alternative livelihoods. Nominated by Dr. Tutilo Mudumba, co-director of the Snares to Wares initiative (Rufford Foundation funding recipient) and himself a former WCN Scholar (2016).

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: Uganda
University: Makerere University

Suraj Baral will be using his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of Bonn in Germany. He is planning to focus his studies on quantifying the functional connectivity of the mugger crocodile across the Terai-Arc Landscape in Nepal. After completing his degree, Suraj plans to return to working at Resources Himalaya Foundation to strengthen the corridors identified during his doctoral research. This will include identifying areas of conflict and addressing causes in the corridors, conducting public outreach programs focused on conservation of the species and the ecosystem, and corridor restoration for crocodile basking and breeding, with public participation. Suraj firmly believes that wildlife conservation is only possible through active community participation backed up by scientific data. Nominated by Dr. Kanchan Thapa of WWF Nepal.

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: Nepal
University: University of Bonn in Germany

Tobias Otieno is planning to use his scholarship to pursue his PhD at the University of York. He plans to focus on the impact of infrastructure on lions and people in northern Kenya, highlighting three key themes: 1) describing the lion structure within the community landscape unique to northern Kenya and the Samburu culture; 2) looking at the impact that infrastructure (both large and small scale) will have on lion movements; and 3) through a unique scenario framework tool developed by the University of York (KESHO tool), working towards understanding the impact that the changing landscape will have on people and their culture using a participatory approach and future modeling. Toby plans to continue working with Ewaso Lions after completing his degree to put the results of his doctoral degree into practice, as well as to encourage other young Kenyans to pursue conservation as a career. Nominated by Dr. Shivani Bhalla of Ewaso Lions.

Awarded the Handsel Scholarship

Location: Kenya
University: University of York

Theophile Kiluba Wa Kiluba plans to use his scholarship to complete an applied training course on techniques to diagnose respiratory disease in great apes at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands. After completing this training, Theophile’s aim is to contribute to reducing the risks of emergence, transmission, and spread of emerging infectious zoonotic diseases while implementing a surveillance system for wildlife diseases looking at the wildlife-livestock-human interface (i.e. a One Health approach). He will focus his efforts around Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the DRC and other protected areas regionally and hopes to contribute to raising awareness in local communities related to the risk of diseases, with particular attention paid to those related to bushmeat consumption. Nominated by Luis Flores Giron, head veterinarian and capacity-building manager at the Centre de Rehabilitation des Primates du Lwiro.

Awarded the Vet Scholarship

Location: DRC
University: Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands

Ulaankhuu Ankhanbaatar will be using his scholarship to complete his PhD at the Mongolian State University of Life Sciences. Through his research, he is exploring the role that infectious diseases play in species extinction. In 2019, the first outbreak of African Swine Fever was recorded in Mongolia, infecting wild boars – Ulaankhuu is specifically investigating the molecular characterization and identification of the strain of this virus isolated in Mongolia. During his PhD studies, he is working to learn new techniques and assays on how to detect African Swine Fever in domestic and wild pigs and to understand the routes of disease transmission so that he can provide training and awareness to local people and professionals, including rangers and other veterinarians, on how to prevent livestock disease spill over to wild populations. He hopes to use the knowledge and experience gained during his PhD to act as a key virology veterinarian who can respond to wildlife disease and virus outbreaks in his country. Nominated by Dr. Enkhtuvshin Shiilegdamba of WCS Mongolia.

Awarded the Vet Scholarship

Location: Mongolia
University: Mongolian State University of Life Sciences

Zablon Fataely plans to use his scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at Sokoine University of Agriculture. He plans to focus his thesis on assessing the contribution of the alternative sources of income on reducing human-
elephant conflict to local communities living adjacent to the protected areas with the case of the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem in southern Tanzania, and then to continue working with Wildlife Connection after completing his degree to improve their existing alternative livelihoods program. Zablon also hopes to work to improve conservation education in Tanzania in both primary and secondary schools. His goal is to advocate for and engage government authorities on updating the national curriculum to include conservation. Nominated by Sarah Maisonneuve, executive director of Wildlife Connection.

Awarded the WCN Scholarship

Location: Tanzania
University: Sokoine University of Agriculture