Miguel Lajas
PhD Student
I am a BIODIV PhD student at the University of Porto and CIBIO-InBIO.
My main interests have always been related to wildlife conservation and as a veterinarian, I am highly interested in the epidemiology and ecology of diseases in wild populations and their impact in species conservation. I am also very interested in other aspects of wildlife conservation such as population genetics, species recovery programs, reintroductions and collaborations with local communities in protected areas.
I have graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 2015, at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Lisbon. My Master’s thesis research was focused on gastro-intestinal parasites of the African-lion (Panthera leo) from Niassa National Reserve, a vast and remote protected area in northern Mozambique. Throughout the course of this project, I developed a better understanding about the ecology of parasites and other diseases affecting African carnivores. I learned valuable laboratory techniques in parasitology while processing and analyzing the collected samples and I have also developed important skills in project designing, planning and funding.
In 2016 I joined the team of the Iberian-lynx Captive Breeding Center in Portugal which is part of the Iberian-lynx Ex-situ Conservation Program. Here, as a veterinarian, I became part of an experienced and multidisciplinary team where I was able to learn about the different aspects of this species’ biology, and the challenges of its reintroduction in the wild.
From 2010 to 2016 I have worked as an Environmental Educator at the Lisbon Zoo.
