Mónia Nakamura
Mónia Nakamura
I hold a BSc in Biology from the University of Lisbon (FCUL) and completed an MSc in Conservation Biology at the same institution. My thesis assessed how supplementary feeding sites influenced the social organisation of European bison in Poland.
Between 2007 and 2021, I worked on wolf (Canis lupus) monitoring, research, and conservation projects in northwest Portugal. Meanwhile, I also monitored Iberian wolves in other study areas in Portugal (Serra da Cabreira and South of Douro River population), African golden wolves in Senegal, and desert foxes in Morocco.
I hold a co-tutelle PhD (2019-2024) in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution from the University of Porto (BIOPOLIS/CIBIO) and in Ecology and Biodiversity from the University of Montpellier (CEFE). In my PhD, I applied Bayesian statistical models to investigate how anthropogenic factors affect wolf occupancy and homesite selection and to assess key demographic parameters and viability of a wolf population in a highly human-dominated landscape.
Since 2024, I have been a postdoctoral researcher within the ‘Predator-Prey Model’ project conducted in Saudi Arabia, led by BIODESERTS group. My main expertise lies in carnivore ecology, distribution, behaviour, demography and conservation. I am particularly interested in advancing statistical modelling to support science-based management and conservation actions.