I am an ecologist interested in how individuals move through time and space, and how the paths they take shape their fitness and the dynamics and persistence of populations. My research explores how individual differences, species interactions, and environmental change influence these processes. I combine observations from the wild with ecological and evolutionary theory and quantitative methods, working with species from small mammals in the Alps to large carnivores in African savannas.
My own path into ecology was somewhat unconventional. I started out studying economics in Istanbul before finding my way into the natural sciences. As a wildlife ecologist, I’m curious about pretty much anything with a heartbeat—the stranger, the better. The extraordinary diversity of ways in which organisms live, interact, and survive offers no shortage of interesting questions.
What I value most about academia is the opportunity to exchange ideas with students and colleagues. Science is a collective endeavour, and few things are more motivating than shared curiosity, questioning assumptions, and working through difficult and fascinating problems together. I suspect that influencing young minds may ultimately be more meaningful than any individual contribution I make to research.
Outside academia, I like moving through space myself—cycling, skiing, hiking, running, swimming, climbing, or simply being outdoors. Perhaps this is where my research and personal interests meet: there is more to movement than rates, distances, and destinations. The paths we take, and what happens along the way, matter just as much.
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Research interests
Population ecology, biodemography, life-history theory, evolutionary demography, metapopulation dynamics, wildlife disease dynamics, quantitative methods in wildlife ecology, conservation biology, biodiversity monitoring.
CV
- Since 2024, Professor of Population Ecology, University of Zurich
- 2017–2024, Associate Professor of Population Ecology, University of Zurich
- 2012–2017, Assistant Professor of Population Ecology, University of Zurich
- 2011–2012, NERC Research Fellow, Imperial College London
- 2010–2011, Postdoc, University of Cambridge / Darwin College Research Fellow
- 2008–2010, Postdoc, Imperial College London
- 2006–2008, Postdoc, University of Florida
- 2001–2006, PhD in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida
- 1999–2001, MSc in Environmental Sciences, Bosphorus University
- 1994–1999, BA in Economics and Administrative Sciences, Bosphorus University
Office Y19-M-09
Email (@uzh.ch) arpat.ozgul