Bayar Yunden

Science Director, TNC Mongolia program
Thirza Loffeld

WildHub Community Manager, WildTeam UK

My background is mainly in species conservation, education and capacity development. I researched mother-young interactions in gorillas and chimpanzees, in captivity and the wild. After that, I worked for three years in Indonesia, where I developed and implemented youth ambassador and community engagement programmes on local and regional scales. I work as Community Manager at WildHub since 2020, and I am an Associate Member of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent where I obtained my PhD on capacity development for conservation in 2022. 
Alec Christie

Postdoctoral research associate, University of Cambridge, BioRISC (Biosecurity Research Initiative at St Catherine's)

Background: I studied at the University of St Andrews for my BSc Hons in Marine Biology from 2013-2017. During my time I trained and helped conduct research on seals at the SMRU/SOI, cetaceans in Turkey with DMAD, and studied abroad at James Cook University, Australia, undertaking research on coral reefs with Dr Maria Dornelas and Professor Sean Connelly. I was also lucky enough to study polar ecology, including a field course to the Western Antarctic Peninsula in March 2017. I then applied for a PhD project advertised through the Cambridge ESS DTP and joined the Conservation Evidence group in the UCCRI. I completed my PhD in Zoology (Determining the biases and consistences in the evidence for conservation) in March 2021 as a member of King’s College and the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute (UCCRI) in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI).  I am very interested in communicating science and conservation issues to the public and particularly interested in becoming a wildlife television presenter. In my spare time I am also an amateur wildlife photographer, love getting outdoors and playing all sorts of sports when I can. Current role: I am a Research Associate in the Department of Zoology and the Biosecurity Research Initiative at St Catherine’s (BioRISC) College. My research focuses on applying evidence-based principles from medicine to biodiversity conservation via the Conservation Evidence project. In particular, my work involves co-developing decision support tools with conservationists working to conserve species and provide them with relevant evidence-based recommendations. Currently, I am working on a project to help report tests of invasive species management interventions via an online app and promote more testing of conservation interventions. 
Zoe Lieb

Project Coordinator, National Geographic Society

Zoë Lieb is the project coordinator on the Field Engagement team for the Allen Coral Atlas. Coming from a conservation biology background, she was the in-country manager and primary investigator for the Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project for two years, working towards culturally oriented solutions to human-wildlife conflict issues among nomadic herding communities. She has also worked as a marine observer collecting management data for Alaskan crab fisheries and other data collection positions. She received her MSc in Conservation Biology from University of Kent in the United Kingdom in 2019. Her expertise includes program development, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and community-supported conservation strategies.
Jose Antonio Diaz Luque

CEO, Endangered Conservation

I'm a wildlife conservationist, with 14 years of hands-on experience in the field management and coordination of international conservation and research programs with endangered wildlife. My work focuses heavily on parrots and macaws, participating in or leading 13 programs in 8 countries. My strong interest is in biodiversity conservation based on field research and focus on wildlife species highly threatened by extinction.
Jim Barborak

Senior Adviser Center for Protected Area Management, Colorado State University

Jim Barborak is Senior Adviser of the Center for Protected Area Management at Colorado State University, an outreach arm of the Warner College of Natural Resources at CSU. His B.S. and M.S. in natural resources are from Ohio State University, and he took additional coursework mid-career at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. His specialties include protected areas and corridor planning and management; wildlife management; conservation finance, policy and governance; capacity building; and ecotourism. He began his career working for county government in his native Ohio, and then joined the US Peace Corps as a Volunteer and was assigned to work with the Honduran Wildlife Department. That began an international career now spanning more than 40 years. He has worked for US, Costa Rican and Honduran government conservation agencies, as a consultant to several UN organizations including UNESCO, the UN Development Program and FAO, as a private consultant, and for universities. He has worked in nearly 30 countries, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also in Africa and Asia. He is an active member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and serves on several of its specialist groups, including those on Tourism, Conservation Finance, Capacity Building, and Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities and Equity. He is a native English speaker, fluent in Spanish, and speaks conversational Portuguese. Throughout his career, Jim has worked on efforts to plan and develop increased opportunities for public enjoyment of protected areas, through tourism, recreation, and environmental education programs. At the same time, he has been actively involved in efforts to increase the stream of benefits to local communities and indigenous populations living in and around protected areas, through their direct involvement in tourism and through other mechanisms to create employment and improve livelihoods in conservation units, the buffer zones that ring them, and the corridors that connect them.
Flavia Martinelli

Climate Change Specialist, WWF-Brazil

Master in Animal Biology, with a deep interest in biodiversity conservation, restoration and climate change. Former collaborator of CoalitionWILD and the Global Rewilding Alliance. Former Coordinator of Actions and Partnerships at Plant-for-the-Planet Brazil and Co-Director at Youth Climate Leaders, currently working as a Climate Change Specialist at WWF-Brazil.
Ussi Abuu Mnamengi

Key Conservation Catalyst, WildHub Conservation Community

Greetings, I'm Ussi Abuu, a prominent Conservation Catalyst within the WildHub community, stationed in the beautiful landscapes of Zanzibar, Tanzania. I proudly serve as the INDUSTRY 5.0 Ambassador in Tanzania, advocating for sustainable industrial practices, and I also hold the role of Tanzania Coordinator at the Global Sustainable Future Progress through Partnership network. My journey towards environmental and social progress has been rich and diverse. I previously contributed to the Tanzania Development Trust as a mapper, utilizing geographical data to support development initiatives. Additionally, my commitment to global betterment led me to join the United Nations Volunteers program in 2016, where I've continued to make a meaningful impact. Together, we can explore the vast realm of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they intertwine with my experiences and endeavors. Join me on this journey towards a more sustainable and equitable world.
Lucy Tallents

Conservation educator, VerdantLearn

Affordable online learning, virtual and hybrid events, interactive data visualisation
Kirsty Crawford

Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager , Marine Conservation Society

I also run the conservation workshop and networking platform '& another thing'. See details of our free upcoming workshops and events here - https://andanotherplace.wixsite.com/home
Matthew Creasey

WildLearning and Communications Specialist, WildTeam

I work for WildTeam UK, helping to deliver training workshops, write conservation best practice manuals and share them as widely as possible. Previously a Writing Fellow working with various conservation organisations across India. Background in research, particularly behavioural ecology. Bird nerd.
Nguyen Van Kien

principal researcher, Vietnam National plant genebank - plant resources center (prc)

My work is serving plant genetic resources conservation and use intervention for food and agriculture development (PGRFA) in Vietnam. We design, develop, carry out platform and strategy, programs on PGRFA and relevant areas, including consultancy, training activities. Currently, we are trying to focus on diversity and evolution works of crop and wild crop relatives (CWRs)in the contexts of climate changes, nutrition and health styles and ecosystem services payments and environments as well as values series of culture, spirit and religions that plant genetic resources contribute to sustainable human social development against future challenges. I hope that we could exchange experience, idea and innovation to contribute in developing a better world. We are looking forward to hearing your feedback, support and cooperation soon
Natalie Rhoades

Program Delivery Facilitator, SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity

I studied Marine Biology in San Diego, California and Wildlife Biology & Conservation in Edinburgh, Scotland. I volunteered, interned, and worked in various capacities at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Hopkins Marine Station, and on a small whale-watching outfit prior to my MSc, and I now work as a Program Delivery Facilitator at the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity in Sacramento, California. My passions lie in informal science education, outreach, and public engagement in the sciences. 
Salisha chandra

Vulture Conservation Coordinator - Africa, BirdLife International

Beth Robinson

Consultant, Biodiversify

I'm a WildLearning Specialist with WildTeam, a bit of an odd job title. My main role is to design, deliver and organise both our online and class-based training courses. One of the best parts of my job is meeting other conservationists and learning about the work that they do. Before working for WildTeam I did a PhD in invasive plants and human-wildlife interactions. I find it really interesting to learn about the ways people interact with nature, both when nature is being wonderful, but also when it is being a bit annoying!
Lisa Williams

Conservation Science & Strategy Specialist, The Nature Conservancy