Dr. Christopher O'Bryan

Chris leads the lab and is an Assistant Professor of Planetary Health within the System Earth Science Research Institute at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.  He has a background in ecology, biogeography, and conservation science. 

Having conducted research in the United States, Australia, and now the Netherlands, Chris has led projects on the global impacts of humans on biodiversity, the implications of invasive species for climate change, the contribution of predators and scavengers to human wellbeing, and improving conservation decision-making. 

Prior to his current role, Chris worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Chris obtained his PhD degree in Conservation Biology from The University of Queensland, his Master's degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University, and his Undergraduate degree in Biology from Austin Peay State University. 

E-mail: c.obryan [at] maastrichtuniversity.nl

Arjun Shandilya

Arjun is a PhD student at Maastricht University, supervised by Dr. O’Bryan and Prof. Pim Martens. Joining the lab in 2025, his research explores the co-benefits for large carnivores and agriculture.  

Arjun holds a Master’s degree in Forest and Nature Conservation from Wageningen University and Research, where he studied the diet and activity patterns of leopards and the diet of martial eagles. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Forestry from the College of Forestry, Ponnampet, India. His research interests include carnivore ecology and human-wildlife conflict.

E-mail: arjunsridhar.shandilya [at] maastrichtuniversity.nl

Li Hongli

Hongli is a PhD student at Henan University and is co-supervised by Dr. O'Bryan at Maastricht University. Joining the lab in 2024, Hongli's PhD is based on remote sensing of big data, focusing on the study of conflicts and benefits between large carnivores and humans. 

Prior to his PhD studies, Hongli obtained his Master's degree in Physical Geography at Ningbo University in China where he conducted research on the phenology of plant flowering. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Geographical Science at Anyang Normal University in China.

Wang Zihan

Joining the lab in 2024, Zihan is pursuing a graduate degree in Cartography and Geographic Information Systems at Henan University and is co-supervised by Dr. O'Bryan from Maastricht University. Her research interests primarily focus on the intersection of tourism and GIS, with a particular emphasis on using remote sensing technology to study the impact of low-cost travel and airline routes on global protected areas. 

Prior to her graduate studies, Zihan completed her undergraduate studies at Henan University of Economics and Law, majoring in Geographic Information Science. 

Rik Lardinois

Rik joined the lab in 2025 for his bachelor thesis research at Maastricht University investigating the human impacts on Earth's large carnivores. Rik is a third-year bachelor's student of the Maastricht Science Programme, in which he explores the connections between conservation biology and technology. His research interests vary a lot; from investigating the chemical ecology of invasive insect species to assessing the IUCN threats for tropical plant families. Now, Rik will investigate the role of humans on the extinction risk of the largest carnivores in the world by using GIS and spatial data.

Clara Wittig

Clara joined the lab in 2025 for her bachelor thesis at Maastricht University, studying how forest fragmentation impacts forest raptors. She is a third-year student at University College Maastricht, where she has developed an interdisciplinary skillset. Clara is interested in climate change and ecosystem-based strategies and policymaking for mitigating its effects at local and national levels. Her current research focuses on how forest fragmentation affects raptors globally, aiming to identify patterns within characteristic traits and understand which species are most impacted.

Camilla Colotte

Camilla joined the lab in 2024 for her capstone thesis project at Maastricht University exploring the drivers of decline of Earth's largest saltwater clams. Camilla is a third year bachelor student pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences. Her background is quite interdisciplinary because of the nature of her degree, but she is particularly interested in marine conservation, which is a complex challenge that relates not only to ecology, but also to human health, economy, heritage studies, and international relations. 

As such, for her capstone she has conducted the first systematic review on the drivers of decline of pen shells, a unique group of bivalves, which will undoubtedly galvanise future research on the topic.

Dr. Nisansala Abeysinghe

Nisa conducted her PhD research at The University of Queensland, with Dr. O'Bryan as co-supervisor. Finishing in 2024, her research focused on identifying factors influencing the success of collaboration in invasive species management. Nisa also explored the use of social network techniques for understanding and improving collaborative invasive species management. Her work has direct application to how organisations make decisions on the ground for tackling collective action problems.

Before joining the lab, Nisa obtained her Master’s degree in Environmental Management at Griffith University in Australia and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Sri Lanka in Agricultural Economics. 

Zhouyao Zhang

Zhouyao joined the lab in 2023 for her master's research project focused on habitat assessment, conservation effectiveness, and ecosystem carbon dynamics. Her work assessed the effectiveness of protection schemes on mountainous ecosystems in Hainan Island. Now, Zhouyao is a PhD student at Nanjing University examining how land conversion and land use intensity impact regional ecosystems including carbon sinks across terrestrial and marine environments. Her work attempts to provide insights for better conservation strategies and sustainable land management.