Mairi Poisson
PhD Candidate
I received my B.A. in Biology and Spanish from Dickinson College in 2016, where I studied American toads and their impacts on pest insect populations in an agricultural setting. After graduating, I spent four years working as a field research scientist with various conservation detection dog groups. Most of this work focused on non-invasive detection of rare, elusive, and endangered species across the western United States. In 2021, I joined the WMML as a master's student and teaching assistant, with a research focus on the impacts of human development in exurban areas on wildlife species. I was also a teaching assistant for two courses: Wildlife Conservation, and Principles of Sustainability.
My PhD research at UNH focuses broadly on the concept of landscape connectivity, how barriers to wildlife movement impact populations and individuals. I endeavor to develop research projects that are useful to and informative for local communities, state agencies, and other researchers around wildlife habitat use and mitigating impacts of human development. I am currently funded on a Dissertation Year Fellowship with an anticipated graduation date of May 2027. I aspire to work with local or regional agencies, nonprofits, and research groups to continue finding solutions to our pressing wildlife conservation problems.