Terrestrial ecologist and biodiversity specialist

Ecologist / Biodiversity Specialist

• Design and development of a biodiversity conservation project, including the biodiversity monitoring plan.
• Conducting preliminary habitat assessments, species surveys and habitat sensitivity analysis against international frameworks.
• Led a field team of four and trained staff in systematic biodiversity data collection using bioacoustic sensors and vegetation transects across multiple biomes; strong species identification skills across flora and fauna.
• Designed and facilitated participatory community workshops on biodiversity monitoring and conservation, supporting FPIC, compliance and local capacity building.
• Performed statistical analyses in R to assess species richness, biodiversity indices, distribution patterns and habitat quality across heterogeneous landscapes.
• Conducted GIS-based land cover analysis, habitat mapping and landscape-scale connectivity assessments using QGIS and satellite imagery.
• Prepared investor-facing technical documentation for Fortune 500 clients including Microsoft, contributing to a project pipeline valued at over $10 million; experienced in communicating technical findings to non-specialist audiences.
• Collaborated across disciplines with forest engineers, agronomists, legal teams and business development.
• Conducted bird surveys in various ecosystems of the UAE as part of formal EIAs.

Bird Banding Intern

• Systematic banding of owls, raptors, shorebirds, passerines and gulls across coastal, forest, urban and farmland habitats for national population monitoring.

Volunteer Field Ecologist

• Monthly waterfowl transect counts and 1 km² breeding bird plots (point counts, territory mapping) for the Breeding Bird Atlas Belgium.

Excursion Leader

• Bird guide on hiking trips in Belgium, Poland and Switzerland for groups of 15–20.

MSc Global Change Ecology

Thesis on the effects of global change on a cooperative breeding bird in Kenyan cloud forest: a 20-year demographic dataset, fieldwork with nest monitoring, mist netting and acoustic recorders, and mixed-effects modelling in R.

BSc Biology

Thesis on biodiversity and body condition in forest bird communities of the Flemish Ardennes, linking forest structure and land use to community composition.