DR. ARASH GHODDOUSI
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ABOUT ME

I am a research fellow at the Conservation Biogeography Lab of Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany. My research focus is on conservation questions related to the effectiveness of protected areas, development of monitoring tools and frameworks, and better understanding of human-wildlife conflict and poaching.

​Being raised in a nature-loving family, I have been fascinated by wildlife and conservation since childhood. As such, being a conservation scientist who has his feet on the ground, but is also influential in conservation policy and practice on a larger scale has been my primary motivation. I started my studies with a BSc. in Marine Biology at Shahid Beheshti University, Iran. Later, I continued my education with an MSc. in Conservation Science at Imperial College London, UK with a thesis on the spatial ecology of brown bears in Croatia and Slovenia. In between and after my studies, I worked for different NGOs and GOs in a range of projects from camera trapping surveys of Asiatic cheetah and Persian leopard to public-awareness campaigns among local communities, and lobbying with fishermen to stop the lethal control of Caspian seals. I conducted my PhD in Biodiversity and Ecology at Goerg-August-University Göttingen, Germany where I explored the impacts of prey depletion from poaching on large carnivores. For this study, I quantified the prey preferences of the Persian leopard and the trophic competition with poachers in Golestan National Park, Iran.

In my current position as a research fellow at Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany, I study the effectiveness of protected areas in the Caucasus Ecoregion, especially in relation to socioeconomic and political upheavals (PArCS project) using a range of interdisciplinary tools and approaches (see research page for more detail). I also contribute to teaching various conservation and biogeography courses at the Geography Department (see teaching page for more detail). I have close collaborations with conservation organizations around the world and consult on several projects with a particular focus on large mammals and temperate ecosystems (see conservation page for more detail).

EDUCATION

PhD in Biodiversity & Ecology (2012 – 2016)
  • Georg-August-University Göttingen, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology & Anthropology, Germany
  • Thesis title: Prey preferences of the Persian leopard and trophic competition with human hunters in Iran
  • Supervisors: Matthias Waltert, Michael Mühlenberg, Niko Balkenhol
  • Overall grade: magna cum laude | Defence grade: summa cum laud

MSc. & DIC in Conservation Science (2009 - 2010)
  • Imperial College London, Department of Life Sciences, UK. In partnership with Zoological Society of London, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
  • Thesis title: Habitat suitability modelling of brown bear Ursus arctos in Croatia and Slovenia using telemetry data
  • Supervisors: N. Bunnefeld, K. Jerina, D. Huber, M. Rowcliffe
  • Overall grade: Merit | Thesis grade: Distinction

​BSc. in Marine Biology (2002 - 2007)
  • Shahid Beheshti University, Department of Biology, Iran

HONOURS, AWARDS & EXPERT GROUP MEMBERSHIPS

  • Board Member, Society for Conservation Biology - Europe Section
  • IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group
  • IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group
  • IUCN SSC Caprinae Specialist Group
  • IUCN SSC Species Monitoring Group
  • IUCN SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group
  • IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas
  • Visiting Research Fellow, Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science (ICCS) of the University of Oxford, OX|BER Research Partnership (2021-2022)
  • The Interdisciplinary Conservation Network, the University of Oxford's Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science (ICCS) and Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), and the Oxford Brookes University Wildlife Trade Research Group (2020-2021)
  • The Robert Bosch Postdoc Academy for Transformational Leadership, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Humboldt-University Berlin, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) (2020-2022)
  • Fritz-Frank-Award, German Society for Mammalian Biology (2017)
  • Research Grant for Doctoral Candidates and Young Academics and Scientists, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) (2012-2016)
  • Young Scientist Award, 89th Annual Meeting of German Society for Mammalian Biology (2015)

CONTACTS

​Dr. Arash Ghoddousi
Humboldt-University Berlin
Geography Department
Unter den Linden 6
Berlin 10099
Germany

Email: arash.ghoddousi(at)hu-berlin.de
Web: hu.berlin/ghoddousi
Twitter: @ArashGhoddousi
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Picture
Khosrov Forest State Reserve, Armenia; Photo: M. Mkhitaryan
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  • Home
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