Core Staff

Justin (he/him) is a quantitative ecologist and conservation biologist with a deep interest in linking global geospatial datasets with on-the-ground information to understand drivers of change in wildlife communities and the landscapes they inhabit. His research draws on tools from movement ecology, landscape ecology, population biology, and remote sensing to quantify human impacts on natural systems and to identify opportunities to protect or enhance wildlife habitat and connectivity. A major goal of this work is to promote the sustainable coexistence of humans and wildlife in shared landscapes. To that end, Justin works with NGOs, government agencies, and other partners to co-produce conservation strategies that protect sensitive species and habitats, as well as the ecosystem services they provide to our communities.

Growing up in the suburbs near Washington, D.C., Justin’s infatuation with animals was sparked by hiking trips in the Appalachian Mountains and probably a few too many David Attenborough documentaries. His graduate research at Simon Fraser University (MSc) and the University of Victoria (PhD) examined the behavioral and community ecology of wildlife in human-dominated landscapes, focusing on interactions between majestic (pumas, bears) and not-so-majestic (raccoons, gulls) predators and prey. Justin also spent time as a postdoc at UC Santa Cruz studying human impacts on large carnivore spatial ecology.