School of Biosciences

Nurzhafarina Othman, from Malaysia, was a trainee under a Darwin Initiative project on the conservation genetics of the Bornean elephant led by Michael Bruford and Benoit Goossens, and she recently graduated from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Her PhD project, for which she obtained a scholarship from Houston Zoo, will focus on the social behaviour and mating system of the Bornean elephant in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. She will be co-supervised by Benoit Goossens and Rob Thomas.

Dr Senthilvel Nathan, from Sabah (Malaysia), is the Chief Wildlife Veterinarian for the Sabah Wildlife Department. He has many years of experience working with wildlife in Sabah, especially elephants and Sumatran rhinoceros. He is starting his PhD on the conservation genetics of the proboscis monkey in Sabah, under the co-supervision of Benoit Goossens and Michael Bruford, and with funding from Sime Darby Foundation and their Big 9 Program.

Penny Gardner, a British citizen, carried out her Master of Research at the University of Aberdeen with a NERC-funded studentship. During her PhD, she will work on the population ecology and social organization of the banteng, an endangered species of wild cattle in Sabah. She will use satellite telemetry, remote camera trapping and molecular analysis. Houston Zoo also funds her scholarship and she will be co-supervised by Dr Benoit Goossens and Professor Michael Bruford.