Latest Research

PhD student Hui Jeong (Hailyee) Ha recently published a study using large-scale network mobility data to quantify evacuation rates during the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire in British Columbia, Canada. Hailyee examines how wildfire proximity, evacuation orders, and neighborhood characteristics influenced evacuation rates. This study found that evacuation rates were significantly higher in neighborhoods under formal evacuation orders and those closer to the wildfire perimeter. This research offers critical insights into neighborhood-scale wildfire evacuation dynamics and highlights the value of mobility data for evacuation and disaster planning.

MSc Student Jack McIlraith looked at movement of wild pigs in four study sites in the USA. Using GPS tracking data from 114 individuals Jack studied how the social associations varied between sexes and site characteristics. Further, Jack looked at seasonal differences in social associations. It was shown that wild pigs exhibit heterogeneous contact patterns, with some pairs having very strong social associations and others having weak or fleeting social associations. These findings have important implications for wild pig management and disease ecology. Read more about it in our paper in the Canadian Journal of Zoology!