Sandra Lai

My research interests cover the movement ecology, behaviour and life-history traits of mammals living in harsh environment, with a particular interest in carnivores (canids and small felids), and how trophic and non-trophic interactions shape ecosystem structure and functioning. I am also interested in conservation biology and wildlife management.

During my PhD at Université du Québec à Rimouski within the Canada Research Chair in Northern Biodiversity, I studied winter movement tactics, socio-spatial organisation and population genetics of an Arctic fox population from Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada). My postdoctoral research focused on the large-scale movements of another northern mammal, the Arctic hare, and on the ecological network of a polar desert near Alert (northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut). I also contributed to the implementation a biodiversity monitoring programme and wildlife management plans for endangered and other listed species in the area.

At WildCRU, I joined the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) and will carry out analytical work of EWCP’s long-term database on population demographics, social group dynamics, disease surveillance and vaccination effectiveness. In the field, I will assist the running of EWCP’s wolf monitoring and field research projects, working closely with field staff.