Lab head
Shawan Chowdhury, PhD
I am a global change biologist with a special focus on insects. I am primarily interested in understanding global change responses to biodiversity and developing efficient conservation plans.
While much of my current research focuses on secondary data, I have extensive experience conducting fieldwork in the tropics. In May 2022, I completed my PhD at the University of Queensland with Professor Richard Fuller and Emeritus Professor Meron Zalucki. Afterwards, I moved to Germany and completed a two-year postdoc with Professor Aletta Bonn at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). Before joining Monash University in Feb’25, I completed a short postdoctoral position at the University of Adelaide with Professor Phill Cassey.
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PhD students
Brianna Johns
Bri is quantifying the role of participatory practices and open technologies within insect conservation projects. She is co-supervised by Professor Anne Peters.
In particular, she is investigating the socio-ecological and technical dimensions of emerging insect biodiversity-monitoring projects in tropical regions, aiming to inform effective conservation planning and policy on a global scale.
Bri graduated from North Carolina State University in 2020 with degrees in Zoology (BSc) and International Studies (BA) before spending years as a community manager for the Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH) Community. Her years of experience within open science and open hardware movements sparked her interest in researching open technologies for wildlife conservation. In 2024, she received a Fulbright student research grant and a SEEKCommons fellowship to study the Mothbox, a low-cost and open-source insect monitor developed in Panama.
In her spare time, Bri enjoys riding her bike, playing sports, and watching movies with friends.
Raymond Umazekabiri
Raymond is evaluating the global conservation status of insects. He is co-supervised by Professor Melodie McGeoch.
His research assesses the spatial and taxonomic coverage of insect occurrence records from citizen science platforms and their effectiveness in monitoring insect biodiversity, with a particular focus on the tropics. He is also investigating how different threats are impacting insects and developing an efficient conservation plan.
Raymond holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Rwanda. His undergraduate thesis led to a research proposal that was later awarded an Early Career Grant from the National Geographic Society while working at the Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management (CoEB, Rwanda). He completed his MSc in Biodiversity and Collection Management at TU Dresden / Internationales Hochschulinstitut, Germany, in 2023. Since 2023, Raymond has worked with Prof. Tiffany Knight at iDiv/UFZ, Germany, contributing to several projects including: SEPPI and PollObs projects.
Outside of research, Raymond enjoys jogging, going to the gym, playing football and basketball, and watching nature documentaries, football matches, and NBA games.
Jessica Zhou
Jess is developing conservation strategies for tropical seabirds in Australian islands. She is primarily supervised by Assoc. Prof. Rohan Clarke.
Jess is focusing on movement ecology, habitat suitability, community perception within the historic range, and the potential of conservation translocation.
Jess graduated from Colorado College (Colorado Springs) in 2019 and subsequently travelled to Newstead, Victoria, to assist with fieldwork investigating the complex genetics of the charming Eastern Yellow Robin. Since 2021, she has worked as a research assistant in the Research, Ecology, Conservation Group. Her work primarily involved supporting the group’s activities in on-ground work (e.g. organising and leading fieldwork), research delivery (e.g. government/industry reports, scientific papers), and administrative management. This has included projects assessing the movement of Procellariform birds (e.g., albatross and petrel) and the risk of wind farm interaction at sea, as well as long-term monitoring of tropical seabirds on offshore islands.
In her spare time, Jess enjoys long walks at the local wastewater treatment plant looking for crakes.
Qiushuang Liang
Qiushuang is working on insect migration and conservation. She is based at Henan University, China and is primarily supervised by Prof. Zunyi Xie.
Her research focuses on three key areas: technological advances in monitoring migratory insects, modelling the spatiotemporal dynamics of migratory butterfly distributions, assessing the effectiveness of protected areas, and analysing the potential impact of global change drivers.
Qiushuang graduated in 2025 with a Master’s degree in Geography from the School of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University. Her research focused on biodiversity in Southeast Asia, examining the drivers of biodiversity threats. She is experienced in GIS and remote sensing, species distribution modelling, and programming in Python and R.
In her spare time, Qiushuang enjoys watching wildlife documentaries, especially those featuring cute animals.
Haiyu Li
Haiyu is working on conservation strategies for migratory butterflies across global scales. He is co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Rohan Clarke.
Haiyu is focusing on understanding cross-border movements and spatiotemporal patterns of migratory butterflies, and exploring how climate change and other anthropogenic pressures influence their dynamics.
Haiyu graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology from the University of Montpellier in 2023 and is currently completing his Master’s studies in Ecology and Evolution at Sorbonne University. His Master’s thesis investigates how habitat quality, assessed through food resource availability and pollutant stress, shapes dispersal events of Arctic Terns using ecological modelling approaches. He has also gained research experience through internships at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Jiangsu University, where he contributed to projects in ecology and environmental science.
In his spare time, Haiyu enjoys hiking and reading.
Honours students
Sian Zahid
Sian is assessing the range shift dynamics of the world’s most widespread swallowtail butterfly – Papilio demoleus. He is co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Rohan Clarke.
Sian is interested in studying the annual and spatiotemporal movements of lepidopterans. In his honours project, Sian will investigate how the distribution of Papilio demoleus has changed in relation to climate change, habitat loss, and other anthropogenic disturbances.
In 2025, Sian completed his Bachelor of Science at Monash University. He majored in Zoology and Plant Sciences, alongside a minor in Earth Science. He conducted a semester-long research project as part of the Evans EvoMorph Lab in his final year, where he investigated pterosaur morphology. Sian presented this research at ICVM-2025, the first virtual meeting held by the International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology. Oral presentations are his favourite form of science communication.
In addition to research, Sian enjoys reading manga, listening to audiobooks and watching movies. Sian’s non-fiction interests include biology, ancient history, and comparative religion.
