Meet our conference speakersR. Mark Brigham (Plenary) University of Regina I am a Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Regina. My students and I have been addressing questions about how bats and nightjars use torpor and hibernation to save energy during periods with low food availability. I also have students studying the ecology of endangered birds and mammals to understand the reasons for and to try and reverse these population declines. I have co-authored over 200 peer reviewed publications and am currently co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Zoology. I teach Introductory Biology, Vertebrate Biology and an upper-level course focused on evolutionary aspects of Animal Behaviour. Aside from my formal teaching duties, I am a strong proponent of bringing Science and my research to the public. I regularly give talks to schools and naturalists organizations. In 2006, I received the Gerrit S. Miller Jr. Award from the North American Symposium on Bat Research for outstanding lifetime service and contributions to Chiropteran Biology. I also received the 2008 Joseph Grinnell award from the American Society of Mammalogists for long term contributions to Education about Mammalogy.Neil Furey (Spallanzani 2025)
Harrison Institute, UK Neil Furey is a freelance biologist and research associate with the Harrison Institute (UK) who has worked full time in Southeast Asia since 1997. Spending a decade in Vietnam, his doctoral research with Paul Racey (Aberdeen University) explored the ecology and acoustics of bat assemblages in Vietnamese karst. Based in Cambodia since 2009, he initially focussed on building capacity for conservation biology through development of the first MSc degree, first zoological reference collections and first scientific journal nationally. Since then, he has continued to supervise graduate student projects and advise environmental impact assessments on bats for many developments in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Neil is an accidental taxonomist who has co-described 10 new vertebrates to science and while a conservationist at heart, he has a special interest in using bioacoustics to understand the ecology of bat assemblages throughout Southeast Asia. Juan Jesús Pellón Palacios (Villa 2025)Advisor: Rodrigo A. Medellín Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Juan Jesús Pellón Palacios is a Peruvian biologist specializing in the ecology of Neotropical bats, with particular interest in their diets, mutualistic interactions, and roles in ecosystem functioning. He earned his bachelor's degree at the National Agrarian University La Molina and recently completed his master’s degree in Biological Sciences (Ecology) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His thesis focused on nectarivorous bat ensembles and bat-flower interaction networks in agroecosystems along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Juan has conducted extensive fieldwork in Peru and Mexico and collaborated on studies involving frugivorous and nectarivorous bats, using approaches that integrate morphology, molecular tools, and network analysis. Beyond research, he is actively involved in science communication and coordinates a citizen science initiative in Peru aimed at engaging local communities in bat conservation. Through his work, Juan seeks to advance the understanding of bat ecological interactions while contributing to biodiversity conservation across Latin America. |
- Home
- 2025 Edmonton
- Conference Speakers