Jiajie (Angel) Zhang

I am an international student from Shanghai and a senior studying Integrative Biology and Economics. I have always been drawn to the natural world, but it is my time studying African large carnivores in Tanzania that sparked a lasting interest in ecology and conservation biology. In the Davies Lab, I work with PhD Candidate Lucrecia Aguilar on large mammal ecology, focusing on human–lion conflict and coexistence in Laikipia, Kenya. My senior thesis explores how the characteristics of the built environment, livestock pens (bomas) in particular, relate to ecological features and surveyed local experiences with lions. It seeks to bridge ecology and social science to better support the development of practical strategies for long-term conservation and human-lion coexistence.