Project
Hi there! My name is David D. Hofmann, and I am a PhD student in ecology at the University of Zurich. I am a movement ecologist with a particular interest in dispersal and ecological connectivity. Presently, I am working on the African wild dog dispersal project. The goal of this project is to better understand movement behavior of dispersing African wild dogs and to quantify connectivity within the world’s largest transboundary conservation initiative, the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. With my research, I aim to contribute to the successful conservation of the African wild dog, a charismatic, yet highly endangered species. Besides generating insights that are relevant for conservation purposes, I am also interested in developing new methods to analyse movement data and estimate connectivity. I have a particular fascination for integrated step-selection functions and for simulating movement from fitted models.
If I’m not analysing data in Zurich, you’ll find me conducting field work in our research station in Botswana. The station is located near the world-renowned Okavango Delta, one of the planet’s most fascinating and pristine ecosystems and a stronghold for African wild dogs. The ability to work in this environment is an incredible privilege and fuels my passion for wildlife.
If you’re keen on reading about other stuff that I find interesting and worthwhile sharing, you can visit my personal website.
Research interests
Movement ecology, conservation biology, ecological connectivity, individual-based simulations, large carnivores, step-selection functions
CV
- 2020 – present, PhD Student, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland
- 2018 – 2020, MSc Student, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland
- 2015 – 2018, MA Student, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
- 2012 – 2015, BA Student, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Publications
- Claase MJ, Cherry MI, Hofmann DD, Apps PJ, McNutt JW, Jordan NR. Patterns of Scent Marking by African Wild Dogs, Lycaon pictus, at Shared Marking Sites. Animal Behavior➤
- Cozzi G, Reilly M, Abegg D, …, Hofmann DD, … McNutt JW (2023) An AI-based platform to investigate African large carnivore dispersal and demography across broad landscapes: A case study and future directions using African wild dogs. African Journal of Ecology➤
- Hofmann DD, Cozzi G, McNutt JW, Ozgul A, Behr DM (2023) A three-step approach for assessing landscape connectivity via simulated dispersal: African wild dog case study. Landscape Ecology ➤
- Hofmann DD*, Behr DM*, McNutt JW, Ozgul A, Cozzi G (2021) Bound within boundaries: Do protected areas cover movement corridors of their most mobile, protected species? Journal of Applied Ecology ➤
* Shared first authorship