Joe Kolowski
Post-doc Fellow
Joe’s broad research interests are in carnivore ecology in the human landscape, and the investigation and mitigation of human-wildlife conflict. Specifically, he is interested in the use of spatial data at the landscape and local scale to investigate the influence of habitat fragmentation and additional human activities on large carnivore space use patterns, social systems, demographics, and the dynamics of human-carnivore conflict.
His Ph.D. work investigated interactions between humans and large carnivores in and around the Masai Mara National Reserve in southwest Kenya. The project focused on documenting behavioral changes in spotted hyenas in response to livestock grazing, and the factors influencing rates and locations of carnivore depredation of livestock.
Joe has a B.S. in natural resources/wildlife rcology from Cornell University, an M.S. in wildlife ecology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and he recently received his Ph.D. in zoology from Michigan State University.
He joined the MAB team in 2007 and is currently working to investigate the effects of various oil company activities on the behavior and ecology of ocelots in northern Peru. The ocelot functions as a useful potential indicator of negative disturbance effects as it is sensitive to habitat alteration and, as a top predator, is ecologically tied to numerous trophic levels. His work will be in conjunction with a broader assessment of the responses of numerous taxa to oil-related disturbances.
