Kwasi Wrensford

Postdoctoral Researcher

Research Interests and Background

I was born on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, and moved to Southwest Georgia at a young age. Growing up in the south, I became immersed in nature and wildlife, from the sandy longleaf pine savannahs and cypress swamps, and decided early on I wanted to build a career understanding and protecting the animals we share the world with.  I went on to the University of Connecticut, where I completed my B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  I then earned my PhD in Integrative Biology at the University of California-Berkeley with Dr. Eileen Lacey studying the behavior and population ecology of chipmunks in the Sierra Nevada under climate change. 

My research interests include animal behavior/behavioral ecology, wildlife ecology, conservation, and global change biology. Human modification of the environment, whether it be through climate change, development, species introduction, etc., is having profound effects on animal populations. This has led to widespread, but often difficult to predict, changes to species’ behavior, populations, and distributions. Bridging the gap between our understanding of individual animal behavior and the population scale trends we are observing will be crucial to better conserve and coexist with our animal neighbors under global change. For my postdoc work with the lab, I’ll be joining the Snapshot Wisconsin team to use a statewide, community science camera-trap network to study the phenology of wildlife species under a changing climate. For this project, I’m co-supervised by Dr. Zuzana Burivalova, and will be working closely with the Sound Forest Lab. 

Outside of my research, I enjoy exploring the outdoors, niche historical trivia, throwing down in the kitchen, and making music.

Contact

Email: kwasi.wrensford@wisc.edu

Website: kwrensford.weebly.com

Education

PhD in Integrative Biology , University of California – Berkeley, 2023. Thesis: Behavioral Responses to Climate Change in Chipmunks of the Sierra Nevada.

BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 2017