I am Mahi Puri, originally from India. I currently live in Saipan (a small Pacific Island, near Guam where my husband is pursuing PhD in Marine Biology), while I work remotely for Cincinnati Zoo as a Coexistence Scientist. I completed my PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from University of Florida, integrating ecological and social science methods to prioritize areas for carnivore conservation in human-dominated landscapes of central India.

At Cincinnati Zoo, I work with their global in-situ conservation program, supporting various partners in capacity building and research support. I also lead the zoo's Fellowship Program where I mentor and guide Fellows (from local communities) working on various research projects including elephants in Thailand and India, gorilla-based ecotourism in Congo, human-carnivore conflict mapping in Kenya, songbirds monitoring in Ohio etc. I help the Fellows develop their Theories of Change and execute their projects over a 2-year period including data collection, analysis and writing. I would like to improve my training skills related to project planning, MEL etc, hence this course.  

In my free time, I love making pottery, going hiking or scuba diving, or reading on my couch while snuggling with my two cats! :)