Sarah E. Turner (she/her)

Associate Professor
Department of Geography, Planning and Environment
Principal
Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability

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Dr. Sarah Turner is a primate behavioural ecologist researching behavioural flexibility and responses to challenging situations, like physical impairment and human-induced environmental change, and primate use of space and spatial decisions. She researches how behaviour use of space, and conservation in nonhuman primates are influenced by human-induced environmental change. Her research focuses on the behaviour of free-ranging Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) with physical disabilities to explore hypotheses related to behavioural plasticity and social responses in collaboration with the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan. She collaborates with Dr. Renata Ferreira at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil, on rehabilitation of captive bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus), and the behavioural ecology of Endangered blond capuchin monkeys (Sapajus flavius) in a small fragment of Atlantic Forest. Sarah holds a PhD in Anthropology (Primatology) from the University of Calgary, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at McGill University before joining Concordia in 2017.

Brogan M. Stewart (she/her)

Ph.D. 2019-current
Concordia Public Scholar 2023-2024
MITACS Globalink 2019
B.A. Honours 2018

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Brogan Stewart is a PhD Candidate at Concordia University and one of Concordia’s 2023-2024 Public Scholars. Her graduate degree is in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies focusing on Environmental Science, specifically animal behaviour, environmental variability and how they interplay. Her research focuses on Japanese macaque behaviour and whether it can be quantified to predict if an animal is experiencing mild or chronic stress at the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan. Her research will contribute to a better understanding of physical impairment, stress, and the influence of environmental variation for animals, information that is vital in this time of rapid human-induced environmental change. Brogan earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) with distinction in Environmental Science and a minor in Mathematics and Statistics from Concordia University in 2018. She began her MSc and subsequently fast-tracked into the PhD program in 2019. Brogan is also a student member of the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Sciences.

Megan M. Joyce (she/her)

Ph.D. 2022-current
MITACS Globalink 2019

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Megan Joyce is an NSERC-funded PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University in Montreal. She is supervised by Dr. Sarah E. Turner and Dr. Pierre-Olivier Montiglio (Université du Québec à Montréal). Her PhD research explores primates and their ability to behave flexibility in response to individual circumstance at the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan. Megan received her BA in French from York University’s Glendon College in 2015, her BSc from the University of Toronto in Biological Anthropology in 2018, and her MSc from Concordia University in 2021.

Mikaela Gerwing (she/her)

Ph.D. 2023-current
Concordia Public Scholar 2026-2027
MITACS Globalink 2023

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Mikaela Gerwing is a wildlife conservation biologist and FRQNT-funded PhD Candidate studying primatology under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Turner and Dr. Renata Ferreira. Her research explores the rehabilitation and reintroduction of bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in the Brazilian Caatinga, human-wildlife coexistence in the area of release, and the effectiveness and ethical integrity of Latin American wildlife rescue centres in the areas of animal welfare, human welfare, conservation . Mikaela received her BSc. in Natural Resources Conservation, Global Perspectives from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver in 2019 and her MS. in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University, New York in 2022 (summa cum laude). Mikaela was the recipient of the Miriam Aaron Roland Fellowship (2023-2027). Mikaela has worked in wildlife conservation, rehabilitation and research on four continents for ten years, most notably having spent two years working as a conservation biologist and rehabber at Taricaya Eco Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Her website is mikaelaswildlife.com

Italo Ferreira Pereira
(he/him)

Ph.D. 2024-current
MITACS Globalink 2023

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Italo Pereira is a PhD candidate studying primatology and climate change under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Turner and Dr. Damon Matthews, in collaboration with Dr. Renata Ferreira. Italo’s dissertation research focuses on climate change and the behavioural ecology, habitat use, and conservation of wild blond capuchin monkeys (Sapajus flavius) in Brazil.

Viviane Aurora Macedo de Oliveira
(she/her)

Ph.D. 2025-current
MITACS Globalink 2024

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Viviane Oliveira is a PhD student in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University, supervised by Dr. Sarah Turner and Dr. Renata Ferreira. Her research focuses on developing efficient rehabilitation protocols for capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) by incorporating personality assessments to adapt strategies for release success. Viviane received her Master’s degree in Psychobiology (Animal Behaviour) from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) in 2025, where she developed the rehabilitation protocol, which she continues to improve to this day. She also holds a Specialization in Management and Conservation of Wild Fauna (2024), a Bachelor’s degree in Biology (2023), where she completed her undergraduate thesis on primate welfare, and a Veterinary Assistant certification (2022).

Misha Solomon
(he/him)

Ph.D. 2025-current (HUMA)

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Misha Solomon is a poet-scholar and in and of Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. He is the author of three chapbooks, including Misha Solomon’s BIODÔME: A Bestiary after Stephanie Bolster (above/ground press, 2026), and one full-length poetry collection, My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet (Brick Books, 2026). His poems have appeared in journals across Canada and have been anthologized in Best Canadian Poetry 2024, 2026, and 2027 (Biblioasis) and in On Occasion: Poems for the People (Coach House Books). He has a BA from Columbia University and an MA from Concordia University, where excerpts from his research-creation poetry thesis won the 2023 David McKeen Award. He is a student in Concordia’s Interdisciplinary Humanities PhD program, pursuing a SSHRC-funded rethinking of the non-reproductive homosexual through an animal studies lens; his major field supervisors are Dr. Jesse Arseneault and Prof. Stephanie Bolster, and his minor field supervisors are Dr. Sarah Turner and Prof. Aaron McIntosh.

My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet (Brick Books, 2026): https://www.brickbooks.ca/shop/my-great-grandfather-danced-ballet-by-misha-solomon/
Website: https://www.mishasolomon.com/

Ryan Ura
(he/him)

M.Sc. 2024-current
MITACS Globalink 2025

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Ryan Ura is an MSc student and a MITACS Globalink Scholar. He brings his background in biological anthropology to the Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies program at Concordia. Ryan is a student in Dr. Sarah Turner’s lab, and is co-supervised by Dr. Renata Ferreira. He studies social learning and tool-use rehabilitation in captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus and Sapajus spp.). Before coming to Concordia University, Ryan completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary, and worked as a volunteer for the Himalayan Langur Project. Ryan is a student member of the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science.

Maya Moghrabi
(she/her)

M.Sc. 2024-current
MITACS Globalink 2025

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Maya Moghrabi is a Master’s student in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment in Montreal at Concordia University. She is supervised by Dr. Sarah E. Turner of the Primatology and Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies lab and Dr. Renata Ferreira of the Co-existence lab at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University, where she graduated from the Environment program with a specialization in Biodiversity and Conservation. Maya’s research focuses on conservation, with an emphasis on understanding how human behaviour impacts wild populations with the goal of informing strategies for coexistence.

M.Sc. thesis title: Impacts of Human Induced Landscape Changes on Social Tolerance in Blond Capuchins (Sapajus flavius) in a Forest Fragment

Cristina Sciortino
(she/her)

M.Sc. 2025-current
MITACS Globalink 2026
B.Sc. Honours 2023-2024

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Cristina Sciortino is an MSc researcher in Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies at Concordia University, co-supervised by Dr. Sarah Turner and Dr. Genevieve Patterson. She studies social behaviour, play, and inclusion in animal societies using field observation and computational tools. Her research examines how congenital limb differences shape play and social integration in juvenile Japanese macaques at the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan. She is developing a machine-learning workflow that uses computer vision (e.g., SAM3) to segment and track macaques in field video and, with re-identification and behaviour models, support linking tracks to known individuals and classifying key social behaviours to enable faster, more consistent, and scalable behavioural monitoring. She earned a BA (Honours) with Distinction in Human Environment (minor in Biology) in 2024, researching canine play and social dynamics in Montreal dog parks. She also serves as a Technical Support Officer for the IPBES Monitoring Assessment (2027), supporting evidence synthesis for policy-relevant reporting.

Aurélie Vasseur
(she/her)

B.Sc. 2024-2026
MITACS Globalink 2026

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Aurélie Vasseur worked in Data Science and Business for 10 years before a career change to become a Biology researcher at Concordia University. Her current work is at the intersection of primatology, genomics, and conservation. She is completed her Honours thesis with Dr. Marie-Julie Favé (Computational Biology, Concordia) developing a bioinformatics pipeline to analyze somatic mutations in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Her work aims to bridge the gap between molecular biology and wildlife management, exploring how high-resolution genetic data can be leveraged to inform more effective primate conservation strategies. Aurélie’s research is informed by a mix of captive and field-based experience. In 2025, she worked with the primate populations at the Montreal Biodôme gaining insights into behavioural monitoring in captivity. In the summer of 2026, she conducted research at the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan as a MITACS Globalink Scholar.

Ines Soares
(she/her)

Volunteer 2026-2027
B.A. 2020-2024
MITACS Globalink 2023

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Ines Soares completed her Bachelor of Arts in Human Environment (Specialization) at Concordia University and has since gained experience in wildlife conservation research and rehabilitation. Her interest in wildlife conservation grew during her final year of undergraduate studies when she worked as a research assistant under PhD candidate Mikaela Gerwing on the rehabilitation and reintroduction of bearded capuchin monkey (Sapajus libidinosus) in the Caatinga Biome of Brazil. She later volunteered at a wildlife rehabilitation center in France and completed an internship at the New England Aquarium’s Animal Care Center on the rehabilitation of cold-stunned sea turtles. She is currently a volunteer in the PIES lab, supporting PhD candidate Megan Joyce with the analysis of Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) footage from the Awajishima Monkey Centre on Awaji Island, Japan. In parallel, she is enrolled as a part time independent student in biology. Originally from France with Portuguese roots, she now calls Canada home and has the goal of specializing in the conservation of wildlife species native to Canada and pursuing a masters degree.

Júlio Cézar Nascimento de Oliveira
(he/him)

MITACS Globalink Visiting Scholar 2026-2027

Visiting from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
M.Sc. supervisor: Dr. Renata Ferreira

Marina De Castro Nascimento
(she/her)

MITACS Globalink Visiting Scholar 2026

Visiting from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
M.Sc. supervisor: Dr. Renata Ferreira

Yuto Nejishima
(he/him)

MITACS Globalink Visiting Scholar 2026-2027

Function of infant vocalizations during weaning conflict in Japanese macaques
Visiting from the University of Osaka, Osaka, Japan
M.Sc. supervisor: Dr. Kazunori Yamada


Caption: audio recording equipment and Japanese monkey mother and juvenile

Ingrid Maria da Silva Oliveira
(she/her)

MITACS Globalink Visiting Scholar 2026

Visiting from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
M.Sc. supervisor: Dr. Renata Ferreira

Dr. Stephanie Mary Rose Eccles (she/her) Ph.D. 2025; visiting scholar 2025-2027
Producing and Valorizing Industrial Animal Waste: Climate Change Related Disasters and Waste-to-Energy Projects
Co-supervisor: Dr. Elisabeth Stoddard
ResearchGate Profile
Ph.D. Thesis
LinkedIn Profile

Dr. Yisa Ginath Yuh (he/him) Ph.D. 2023; Post-doctoral researcher 2024-2025
Application of machine learning to quantify forest cover loss in the Congo Basin and its implications for large mammal habitat suitability
Co-supervisor: Dr. Damon Matthews
ResearchGate Profile
Ph.D. Thesis
LinkedIn Profile

M.Sc.

Ariana Moin Kenary (she/her) M.Sc. 2024
Foraging Behaviours in Urban Wildlife: Squirrel Route Choices and Wildlife Trash Foraging
M.Sc. Thesis
LinkedIn Profile

Caroline Lesage (she/her) M.Sc. 2023; MITACS Globalink 2023; B.Sc. Honours 2021
M.Sc. Thesis: Habitat suitability, space use, and human-wildlife coexistence for wild river otters (Lontra canadensis)
Honours Essay: Behavioural correlates of alopecia in captive Japanese macaques
M.Sc. Thesis
LinkedIn Profile

Jack Creeggan (he/him) M.Sc. 2023; MITACS Globalink 2022
Spatial Cohesion of Blond Capuchins (Sapajus flavius) in an Atlantic Forest Fragment Co-supervisor: Dr. Renata Ferreira
M.Sc. Thesis
LinkedIn Profile

Mapping capuchin monkey movement in an urban forest fragment
Co-supervised with Dr. Renata Ferreira
& Undergraduate Directed Research

Exploratory behavior of disabled infants in a free-ranging group of Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Japanese macaques infants and disability; Route choice among urban squirrels

How Do Animals Deal with Physical Disabilities? An Annotated Bibliography

Grooming behaviour in Japanese macaques at the Granby Zoo
Undergraduate Science College Directed Research Project

Intersections between animal and human migration
Independent undergraduate research project; volunteer on Route choice among urban squirrels