I am a quantitative wildlife ecologist who develops novel statistical methods coupled with research computing to understand how hyper-diverse tropical forest wildlife communities are impacted by a wide range of contemporary disturbances. 

​

I have been incredibly lucky to develop my passion for wildlife ecology through amazing expereinces spent in the field. Starting with an undergraduate mammology class at the University of Colorado's Mountain Research Station to a semester abroad in Queensland's Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and K'gari (Fraser Island), I have learned how to collect data and study wildlife in thier natural environments. After graduating with dual degrees in psychology and ecology with honors (magna sum laude) from the University of Colorado, I worked as a field research technician on several USA federal government and university projects focused on the management and conservation of threatened reptiles and amphibians.

 

I am currently researching the ecological impacts of apex predator in Southeast Asian and Australian tropical forest food webs for my PhD at the University of Queensland. While there is global evidence highlighting the importance of apex predators structing ecological communities, there is a notable lack of evidence from tropical forests. I am using a multi-site multi-year camera trapping dataset to examine how the loss of tigers and leopards (i.e., due to hunting or deforestation) from Southeast Asian tropical forests may release predation pressure on prey species leading to increased prey abundance. Similarly, I am leading the collection of a new multi-site multi-year camera trapping dataset across Queensland's Wet Tropics World Heritage Area to examine how the addition of feral cats may increase predation pressure on native prey species and suppress thier abundance. I also am a tutor for several courses at UQ, including BIOL2015 Field Ecology Studies where we take students to K'gari for a week and teach them how to camera trap and use artifical intellgence to sort out images. Take a look at what they saw on thier cameras here. 

​

When I am not stuck behind my computer on UQ's St Lucia campus, you can find me outdoors looking for the amazing wildlife found around Southeast Queensland, chasing waves across our beautiful beaches, and riding bikes along the Brisbane River or Great Dividing Range.  

​

If you are curious about my research or have any similar interes and would like to reach out, please feel free to contact me: z.amir@uq.edu.au

​

For more info, check out my CV here

​