Marco musiani Lab

Our Team

WILDLIFE ECOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Marco Musiani

Marco (PhD) is a Professor with the Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BiGeA) and Referente Scientifico Collezione di Zoologia (Scientific Advisor Zoology Museum), Università di Bologna, Italy. He is also an Adjunct Professor of ecology and evolution in the Dept. of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary. He runs field and lab projects on large terrestrial mammals, and really enjoys working and interacting with his graduate students and research fellows.

Current team

Wildlife Ecology Research Group

Maria Cavedon

Postdoctoral fellow & Skier

My research interests are in ecological and conservation genomics. I integrate molecular and ecological data to investigate important matters for caribou conservation,

Mirjam Barrueto

PhD Candidate & Mountain athlete

I seek to compare impacts of several key human and natural factors on wolverine density, distribution, and connectivity in multi-use landscapes in the North Columbia and North Thompson Regions (BC) and the central Rockies (AB, BC).

Alejandra Santa

Veterinarian

Ph.D. Student

I am finishing my Ph.D. on a project studying the eco-epidemiology of a zoonotic parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis, in red foxes and coyotes from western Canada.

trevor Thompson

Ecologist

B.Sc. in Biological Sciences

I am a final-year undergraduate studying wolverine scavenging behaviour at camera trap sampling sites.

Margareth Hughes

biologist

Ph.D. Student

I am in my first year of my PhD studying how landscape features impact dispersal in caribou populations in western Canada. cc

Anita Michalak

M.Sc. Student

I am in my first year of my PhD studying how landscape features impact dispersal in caribou populations in western Canada.

Emilie Toews

biologist & Soccer player

M.Sc. in Biological Sciences

My primary interests are in zoonotic diseases, especially those involving both wildlife and domestic animals as definitive hosts

Tatiana Bárcenas

Veterinarian & Mountain lover

M.Sc. Student

I like to understand the disease ecology and macroecological aspects of living systems. At the moment I am developing an epidemiological project about Echinococcus multilocularis, humans and dogs.

Wildlife Ecology Research Group

Marco Musiani Lab

Past Members

People who have contributed to the consolidation of Marco Musiani Lab

Thanks for being part of our team!

Bachelor’s [n=7]

Trevor Thompson (In Progress) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Sex differences in detection of terrestrial large mammals Present Position: BSc student

Sarah Bomhof (Completed) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Echinococcus and canid hosts Present Position: Undergrad, King’s University

Kelsey Nishimura (Completed) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Echinococcus cycle in urban areas (obtained PURE Award) Present Position: Undergrad, University of Calgary

Nora Nachareun (Completed) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Echinococcus in Calgary Present Position: BSc Student

Mariana Quintero (Completed) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Echinococcus in dogs
Present Position: BSc Student

Paul Lamont (Completed) , Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse
Thesis/Project Title: Comparative analysis of Echinococcus infections (obtained Study Abroad Scholarship, France)
Present Position: BSc Student, Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse

Meghan Rychyk (Completed) , University of Calgary

Thesis/Project Title: Canis latrans in Calgary (employment, tuition support as University employee)
Present Position: Research Programs Coordinator, University of Calgary

Bachelor’s Honours [n=1]

Liam Horne (Completed), University of Calgary
Principal Supervisor Thesis/Project Title: Caribou migration and reproductive isolation (obtained University of

Calgary Undergraduate Merit Award)
Present Position: Ecological Research Technician, University of Calgary

Master’s Thesis [n=9]

Anita Michalak (In Progress), University of Calgary

Thesis/Project Title: Landscape genomics of British Colombia caribou Present Position: Master’s Student

Tatiana Barcenas (In Progress) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Echinococcus in urban dogs and risk to owners Present Position: Master’s Student

Samridhi Rijal (Completed) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Parasitic dynamics in Bighorn Sheep. Note: I supervised for 6 months while a colleague was on sabbatical.
Present Position: Scientific Writing Tutor, Univ. of Calgary

Emilie Toews (In Progress) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Ecology of Echinococcus species in dogs (obtained Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association CCAA Academic All-Canadian Award)
Present Position: Master’s student, University of Calgary

Jessica Theoret (Completed) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Morphological and behavioral traits and genetic determination in large mammals (obtained Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship and MITACS)
Present Position: Parks Canada ecologist

Rianne Diepstraten (Completed) , The University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Phenology of Northern plants and bear trends. (Governor General’s Gold Medal Nomination) (obtained NSERC CGS M Scholarship)
Present Position: Biologist, BC Government

Tyler Jessen (Completed) , The University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Grizzly bears, mining and climate in the North.
Present Position: PhD student (nominated for Vanier scholarship), Univ. of Victoria

Joseph Kermish-Wells (Completed) , The University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Grizzly bear predation, human impacts and ungulate dynamics. (obtained Charles E & Walton Kendrew Scholarship, Margaret (Peg) Brown Award In Ecological Design, Allan H Bill Memorial Scholarship, and Robert G Kellaway, Mervyn G Graves, C Sheldon Buckles, Gordon J Cummings Scholarship)
Present Position: Biologist, California State, U.S.

Colleen Arnison (Completed) , The University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Elk decline and anthropogenic changes. (obtained Charles E & Walton Kendrew Scholarship, Margaret (Peg) Brown Award In Ecological Design, Allan H Bill Memorial Scholarship, and Robert G Kellaway, Mervyn G Graves, C Sheldon Buckles, Gordon J Cummings Scholarship)
Present Position: Biologist, Parks Canada

Doctorate [n=5]

Margaret Hughes (In Progress) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Drivers of isolation of wildlife populations Present Position: PhD Student

Mirjam Barrueto (In Progress) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Natural and human factors affecting wolverines. (obtained NSERC CGS D Scholarship)
Present Position: PhD student, University of Calgary

Maria Alejandra Santa (In Progress) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Parasitic co-infections: echinococcus and canids (obtained COLFUTURO / Fundación para el futuro de Colombia Carrera Scholarship, Alberta Innovates and MITACS)
Present Position: PhD Candidate, University of Calgary

Maria Cavedon (Completed) , The University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Competing mechanisms of species decline. (obtained Eyes High Doctoral Scholarship -the largest at UofC)
Present Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Calgary

Christa Dubesky (Withdrawn) , The University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Trophic relationships and caribou declines. (Withdrawn AFTER obtained Faculty position, University College of the North, MB)
Present Position: Faculty, University College of the North

Post-doctorate [n=2]

Maria Cavedon (In Progress) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Real-time DNA detection of large mammals in the field Present Position: Postdoctoral Fellow

Chrysoula Gkoumpili (Completed) , University of Salford
Thesis/Project Title: Ecological genomics of the North American caribou. Present Position: Biologist, Ministry of the Environment, Greece

Technician [n=7]

Heather Slivinski (Completed) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Wolverine ecology in the Rockies Present Position: Technician, Parks Canada

Steve Bertollo (Completed) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Wolverine ecology in the Rockies Present Position: Technician, Parks Canada

Leo Levesque (Completed) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Wolverine ecology in the Rockies Present Position: Technician, Parks Canada

Tracy Woitenko (Completed) , University of Calgary Thesis/Project Title: Wolverine Ecology in the Rockies Present Position: Development Planner, Town of Canmore

Michele Hueber (Completed) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Wolverine population estimates in southern Alberta and BC Present Position: Parks Canada Technician

Brady McLeod (Completed) , University of Calgary

Thesis/Project Title: Grizzly Bear Ecology in West-Central Alberta Present Position: Undergraduate Student, Univ. College North

Joseph Catholic (Completed) , University of Calgary
Thesis/Project Title: Grizzly bear ecology in the tundra of the Northwest Territories (obtained Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation Grant)
Present Position: Wildlife Officer, Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation