Quantitative Methods in Biodiversity, Conservation and Epidemiology

Background

This programme encompasses key skills in monitoring and assessing biodiversity critical for understanding the impacts of environmental change; quantitative analyses of ecological and epidemiological data critical for animal health and conservation; and ethics and legislative policy critical for promoting humane treatment of both captive and wild animals.  

The uniqueness of the programme is the opportunity to gain core skills and knowledge across a wide range of subjects, which will enhance future career opportunities, including entrance into competitive PhD programmes.  For example, it is rare for students in animal welfare to gain extensive quantitative skills, even though this can be critical for designing experiments that meet the criteria of the "three R's" (reduce, refine, replace) in animal-based research.  Similarly, there are identification based programmes offered elsewhere, but most others do not combine practical field skills with molecular techniques, advanced informatics for assessing biodiversity based on molecular markers, as well as advanced statistics.  Other courses in epidemiology are rarely ecologically focused; the specialty in IBAHCM is understanding disease ecology, in the context of both animal conservation and implications for human public health.