I am a quantitative wildlife ecologist who uses and develops novel statistical methods coupled with research computing to understand species interactions and how wildlife communities are impacted by a wide range of contemporary disturbances.
I am currently a Principal Data Scientist working on developing the Wildlife Observatory of Australia (WildObs) that aims to bring together siloed camera trap data into a user-friendly continental database. I recently completed my PhD in wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Queensland in the Ecological Cascades Lab where I studied food web dynamics among Southeast Asian tropical forest vertebrates. Before moving to Australia, I worked towards the conservation of several different threatend reptile and amphibian species in the USA. When I am not stuck behind my computer, you can find me outdoors looking for wildlife, biking, hiking, camping, and surfing.
Common palm civets Paradoxurus hermaphroditus are positively associated with humans and forest degradation with implications for seed dispersal and zoonotic diseases
Dehaudt, Bastien, Amir, Zachary, Decoeur, Henri, Gibson, Luke, Mendes, Calebe, Moore, Jonathan H., Nursamsi, Ilyas, Sovie, Adia and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2022). Common palm civets Paradoxurus hermaphroditus are positively associated with humans and forest degradation with implications for seed dispersal and zoonotic diseases. Journal of Animal Ecology, 91 (4), 794-804. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.13663
Relative abundance and risk assessment of lace monitors (Varanus varius) on Fraser Island, Queensland: are monitors habituated to human presence?
Amir, Zachary (2018). Relative abundance and risk assessment of lace monitors (Varanus varius) on Fraser Island, Queensland: are monitors habituated to human presence?. Biawak, 12 (1), 23-33.