New faculty brings global mindset to conservation science programs
Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology to expand research, teaching for students
Kevin Njabo, Ph.D., has joined the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology in the Texas A&M College of Agricultural and Life Sciences as a senior research scientist, director of the P3 Conservation Collaboratory, and coordinator for the Texas A&M University Applied Biodiversity Science, ABS, program.
The ABS program focuses on integrated research in biological and social sciences; cross-disciplinary research and collaboration with conservation researchers and institutions in the field and application of conservancy theory to practice. The program is mostly made up of graduate students, but Njabo hopes to create more opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students.
He aims to expand research, educational and training opportunities by contributing to a new phase of the ABS scholars program with the launch of a state-of-the-art public-private-partnership, P3 Conservation Collaboratory. This collaboratory will partner ABS participants with private non-governmental and international organizations to translate research and education into tangible conservation actions.
Partnerships will develop opportunities for visiting fellows, establish the Aggie Conservation Prize and facilitate seamless integration of ABS priority areas into the department’s undergraduate and graduate curricula.
“This is a multi-faceted initiative to promote interdisciplinary collaboration to advance conservation biology,” he said. “We want to make sure the ABS program allows students to participate in top-tier research in ways that prepare them for a career.”
Conservation science for local, global solutions
Njabo said it is an exciting time for the department. He hopes to increase educational opportunities and capacity for students through engagement with local, statewide, national and international stakeholders.
He believes students need access to traditional and emerging tools used in lab and field settings. Increased exposure to machine learning, artificial intelligence and predictive modeling will help student development, prepare them for their chosen fields and encourage innovation.
Engagement with stakeholders, federal agencies and other nonprofit groups will spur funding and subsequent research development within the ABS program, the department and the College, he said.
Njabo said advancements in fields related to the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology are critical to economic and environmental sustainability. Research, education and outreach in these fields influence progress on big-picture concepts linked to localized challenges, he said.
“If we’re talking impact for local to global communities, this department focuses on fields and concepts that are directly linked to everything we do when it comes to agriculture productivity and human health,” he said. “How do we develop adaptable, scalable solutions to meet challenges? It takes collaboration. It takes building relationships and engaging with researchers and institutions.”
More about Njabo
Njabo’s past research focused on the dynamic relationships between environments, animals and humans, along with factors such as land-use changes and urbanization.
His work identified how land-use changes impacted animal habitat and put wildlife in closer proximity to humans. He said these factors influenced the spread of tropical diseases in both animals and humans and could therefor impact the potential for zoonotic disease transfer.
Njabo earned a bachelor’s degree in botany from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and master’s degree in plant ecology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He received his doctorate in biology from Boston University and was a postdoctoral fellow in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA, before joining their faculty.
During his time as faculty at UCLA, Njabo acted as associate director and Africa director for the UCLA Center for Tropical Research, science and outreach director of the Congo Basin Institute, and Yaounde Cameroon adjunct associate professor in the Institute of Environmental Sustainability and Department of Environmental Health Sciences.
