Rate My Professor Ninon Meyer

Dr. Ninon Meyer serves as an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Science within the College of Engineering, Science and Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. A dedicated wildlife ecologist, her research centers on landscape connectivity and applied conservation science, exploring the ecological interactions between terrestrial vertebrates—particularly large mammals—and their environments. This work elucidates mechanisms underlying animal movement and resource selection, providing critical insights for biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, and policy development. Meyer's doctoral research, culminating in a PhD in Ecology and Sustainable Development from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur in Mexico (completed December 2018), examined behavioral movement patterns of species such as white-lipped peccaries, pumas, and ocelots in Panama's fragmented tropical landscapes. Utilizing camera trapping data, she developed landscape resistance models and connectivity scenarios along the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.

Post-PhD, Meyer advanced conservation efforts in Panama, spending six months establishing projects for the Baird's Tapir Survival Alliance, including evaluations of hunting pressures on tapir populations and indigenous-led monitoring in Darién National Park. Her postdoctoral career includes a PRIME-DAAD Fellowship at the University of Göttingen, Germany, and collaboration with the University of Newcastle's Conservation Science Research Group on squirrel glider ecology in urban Newcastle (2019-2020); a Marie Curie-Sklodowska Fellowship at the University of Freiburg examining retention forestry's impact on Black Forest mammal communities (2021-2022); and a current postdoctoral position in Dr. Helene Wagner's lab at the University of Toronto, focusing on landscape connectivity barriers in Alberta. Appointed Conjoint Lecturer at Newcastle in 2020, she now holds an Honorary Lecturer role to sustain transcontinental collaborations. Meyer also coordinates the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group for Panama, directs the Baird's Tapir Survival Alliance, and serves as Partner Investigator on an Australian Research Council Linkage Project assessing fire impacts on threatened macropods, led by Prof. Matt Hayward.

Her prolific publication record features journal articles such as "Effectiveness of Panama as an intercontinental land bridge for large mammals" (Conservation Biology, 2020), "Large area used by squirrel gliders in an urban area, uncovered using GPS telemetry" (Ecology and Evolution, 2021), "Beyond species counts for assessing, valuing, and conserving biodiversity: response to Wallach et al. 2019" (Conservation Biology, 2021), and "An overview of computational tools for preparing, constructing and using resistance surfaces in connectivity research" (Landscape Ecology, 2022). Book chapters include contributions to works on Baird’s Tapir ecology and conservation case studies. Through these endeavors, Meyer significantly influences conservation strategies for fragmented habitats across Neotropical and Australian ecosystems.