ABOUT ME
I am a postdoctoral researcher 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. Finally, 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 postdoctoral research at Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany, I conduct research on 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). Finally, 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).
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. Finally, 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 postdoctoral research at Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany, I conduct research on 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). Finally, 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)
MSc. & DIC in Conservation Science (2009 - 2010)
BSc. in Marine Biology (2002 - 2007)
- 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
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group
- IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group
- IUCN SSC Caprinae Specialist Group
- IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas
- The Robert Bosch Postdoc Academy for Transformational Leadership 2020, Robert Bosch Stiftung, Humboldt-University Berlin, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT)
- The Interdisciplinary Conservation Network (ICN) 2020/2021, 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
- Fritz-Frank-Award 2017, German Society for Mammalian Biology
- Research Grant for Doctoral Candidates and Young Academics and Scientists, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
- Young Scientist Award 2015, 89th Annual Meeting of German Society for Mammalian Biology
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
ResearchGate
GoogleScholar
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
ResearchGate
GoogleScholar
Khosrov Forest State Reserve, Armenia; Photo: M. Mkhitaryan
