UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
La Kretz Hall, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496
Tel: (310) 267-5132
My main objective as a conservation biologist is to work for more sustainable and equitable global development. While environmental change and extinction of species are natural processes, human activities are also threatening all things wild, both plants and animals. We are the only species capable of consciously modifying our behavior and environment. As caretakers of the planet, it is our responsibility to respect and manage the Earth's natural resources, including human population itself. My research investigates the influence of mosquito vectors on the evolution and ecology of avian malaria parasites and attempts to show that human-induced habitat alteration could impact on feeding preferences of these vector mosquitoes. This research is both extremely important and timely, not only in terms of these vector species, but also in the wider context for the number one killer disease of the African continent. This research is expected to highlight the critical role of biodiversity and host community ecology in the transmission of vector-borne zoonotic diseases that in turn has important consequences for human health.