I am currently a MSc student in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management and proud resident of Worcester College. I am originally from Tokyo, Japan but also grew up in Switzerland and the US.

I’m very interested in the human-wildlife interface of conservation and hope to pursue a career in the policy or sustainable heritage sector. For my master’s dissertation, I am examining the local demographic, cultural, and societal factors that dictate people’s reception of human-bear conflict in Akita Prefecture, Japan. This project is supervised by Dr. Darragh Hare from WildCRU and Department of Biology, and I’m also receiving mentorship by Dr. Emu-Felicitas Ostermann-Miyashita. Beyond the dissertation, we are hoping to expand this research of human-bear conflict to other areas of Japan to encompass unique regional conditions that impact the local people’s relationship and history with bears.

I graduated from Harvard University in May 2024 magna cum laude with highest honours in Integrative Biology, along with a secondary (minor) in Classics. My senior thesis research was on the evolutionary and ecological impacts on bat vertebral morphology, supervised by Dr. Stephanie Pierce and mentored by Dr. Amandine Gillet. The bat specimens and data were provided by Cornell University and the Museum of Comparative Zoology. I also worked as a Research Assistant in Andrew Davies’ lab (Conservation Biology) on a human-lion dynamics meta-analysis project spearheaded by PhD student Lucrecia Aguilar. Both research experiences were incredible learning opportunities and I’m very grateful for all the supervision and mentorships I’ve received.

I’m beyond excited to be part of WildCRU and a community of incredible conservationists from around the world!