Kwasi Wrensford (he/him/his)
Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre
University of British Columbia - Vancouver, BC, Canada
(229) 854 – 8460 • kwasi.wrensford@ubc.ca
EDUCATION
University of California Berkeley, CA, USA 2023
PhD in Integrative Biology
Behavioral responses to climate change in chipmunks of the Sierra Nevada.
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, USA 2017
B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada 2023
- Present
Biodiversity Research Centre Postdoctoral Fellow
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology
Sponsor: Dr. Kaitlyn Gaynor
University of California Berkeley, CA, USA 2018 – 2019; 2020-
2022
Graduate Student Instructor
University of Connecticut Writing Center Storrs, CT, USA
2016 - 2017
Undergraduate Writing Tutor
Supervisor: Dr. Tom Deans; Dr. Kathleen Tonry
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Gothic, CO, USA
2015 - 2016
Research Technician
Supervisor: Dr. Daniel T. Blumstein
Chehaw Park Zoo Albany, GA, USA 2012 -
2013
Education and Animal Care Intern
Supervisor: Jackie Entz, MS
ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
Wrensford, K.C., Lacey, E.A. (2024) Inter- and intraspecific variation in demographic traits of co-
occurring montane chipmunk species in Central Sierra of California. In Prep.
Wrensford, K.C., Samel, K. Lacey, E.A. (2024). Do differences in exploration and boldness inform
species-level responses to environmental change? In Review.
Wrensford, K., Gutierrez, J., Cooper Jr, W. E., & Blumstein, D. T. (2022). Empirical studies of escape
behavior find mixed support for the race for life model. Current Zoology, 68(3), 305-313.
Zaman, M. Rakha, B.A. Wrensford, K.C. Zhu, M. Fan, L. Jiang, G. 2020. Occurrence of Conspecific in
the Neighboring Space Influence on Flight Initiation Distance in Cape Hare Lepus capensis under Human
Stimuli. Open Journal of Ecology, 10(6), 10.4236/oje.2020.106024.
AWARDS, HONORS, AND FELLOWSHIPS
University of California, Berkeley
2022
Outstanding GSI Award
National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine 2022-
2023
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship
National Science Foundation 2019
Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention
National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine 2019
Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Honorable Mention
University of California, Berkeley
2017 - 2020
Chancellor’s Fellowship
RESEARCH GRANTS AND FUNDING
UBC Biodiversity Research Centre Postdoctoral Fellowship ($14,000 CAD)
2023
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology ($60,000) 2023
Grant-in-Aid of Research American Society of Mammalogists ($4,000) 2019, 2020
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund Research Grant ($1,600) 2019
INVITED TALKS
Wrensford, K.C. Behavioral Responses to Climate Change in Chipmunks of the Sierra Nevada.
Biodiversity Research Seminar Series. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada. March 2024.
Wrensford, K.C. Anti-Predator Behavior of Yellow-Bellied Marmots of the Rocky Mountains. Animal
Behavior Course Guest Lecture. Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut,
Storrs, Connecticut, USA. October 2020, 2021, 2022.
Wrensford, K.C. Behavioral Responses to Climate Change in Chipmunks of the Sierra Nevada. Biology
Seminar Series. Dept. of Biology, San Jose State University. San Jose, California, USA. March 2021
Wrensford, K.C. Behavioral Responses to Climate Change in Chipmunks of the Sierra Nevada. Wildlife
and Conservation Biology Seminar Series. Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management,
University of California, Berkeley, California, USA. November 2020.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Wrensford, K.C. Gaynor, K.M. Scaling up from individual animal behavior to species range shifts under
climate change. North American Congress for Conservation Biology, Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada. June 2023. Poster Presentation.
Wrensford, K.C. Gaynor, K.M. The Role of Habitat Selection and Behavior in Climate Range Shifts in
BC Bobcats. Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada March
2024. Poster Presentation.
Wrensford, K.C. Gaynor, K.M. The Role of Habitat Selection and Behavior in Climate Range Shifts in
BC Bobcats. British Columbia Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. Kamloops, British
Columbia, Canada March 2024. Poster Presentation.
Wrensford, K.C. Samel, K. Lacey, E.A. Individual differences in exploratory behavior may inform
species-level responses to environmental change in montane chipmunks. American Society of
Mammalogists; International Mammalogical Congress. Anchorage, Alaska, USA July 2023. Oral
Presentation.
Wrensford, K.C. Samel, K. Lacey, E.A. Behavioral Responses to Climate Change in Chipmunks of the
Sierra Nevada. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. Montreal, Quebec, Canada August 2022.
Poster Presentation.
Wrensford, K.C. Lacey, E.A. Exploratory Behavior and Response to Novelty in Two Montane
Chipmunks of the Sierra Nevada. American Society of Mammologists Annual Meeting. Washington D.C.,
USA. June 2019. Poster Presentation.
Wrensford, K.C. Gutierez, J.G. Cooper Jr., W.E. Blumstein, D.T. Does interpath angle Influence escape
behavior: An empirical test with yellow bellied marmots. Society for Integrative and Comparative
Biology Annual Meeting. Tampa, Florida, USA. January 2019. Oral Presentation.
Wrensford, K.C. Gutierez, J.G. Cooper Jr., W.E. Blumstein, D.T. The race for life model accurately
predicts flight initiation distance in marmots. International Society for Behavioral Ecology Annual
Meeting. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. August 2018. Oral Presentation.
TEACHING
Natural History of the Vertebrates (IB 104) UC Berkeley Spring 2021,
Spring 2022
Graduate Student Instructor: Upper-level undergraduate field and laboratory course focusing on
the animal diversity of the state of California and skills to identify them in the field, with a focus
on birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.
California Natural History (IB 11) UC Berkeley
Fall 2021
Graduate Student Instructor: Introductory level undergraduate lecture course discussing broad
topics in natural history local to California such as geology, botany, zoology, and human
environmental interactions.
Human Biological Variation (IB 35AC) UC Berkeley Fall
2020
Graduate Student Instructor: Introductory level undergraduate lecture course on evolutionary
perspectives on variation in human populations and biology.
Behavioral Ecology (IB 146) UC Berkeley
Spring 2019
Graduate Student Instructor: Upper-level undergraduate lab course on advanced topics in animal
behavior, with a heavy emphasis on inquiry-based learning and hands on field and laboratory
work.
Animal Behavior (IB c144) UC Berkeley
Fall 2018
Graduate Student Instructor: Upper-level undergraduate lecture course on the evolution,
mechanisms, and ecology of animal behavior.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH
Berkeley Science Communication Fellow Berkeley, CA 2021 – 2023
The BSC Fellows program is organized through Science @ Cal to train graduate students with
interests, expertise, and experience in science communication to lead and develop Science
Communication workshops for the UC Berkeley community and beyond.
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, CA 2017 – 2023
Tour Guide: Served as an interpreter and tour guide for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology for
private tours of the Museum, as well as Cal Day, UC Berkeley’s annual open house.
Bay Area Scientists in Schools Program, Berkeley, CA 2017 –
2023
Volunteer Instructor: Lead lessons in basic biology for K-6 students around the East San
Francisco Bay Area
ACADEMIC SERVICE
Integrative Biology Research Mixers 2021 – 2023
Coordinator: Grant funded program within UC Berkeley’s Integrative Biology department that
facilitates small, informal events where undergraduates from backgrounds underrepresented in
science can interact with graduate students and postdocs in the department, learn about research
opportunities, and build community.
Department of Integrative Biology Diversity Committee Berkeley, CA 2019 – 2023
Graduate Student Representative: Departmental committee that oversees programming and issues
related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the IB department, including admissions, hiring, and
departmental climate.
Project Field Equity (FE) Berkeley, CA 2019
– 2021
Student organization dedicated to education and advocacy regarding safety and equity in field
work, particularly regarding issues of sexual violence/harassment and field safety as a whole.
Biological Scholars Program, Berkeley, CA 2018 - 2020
Graduate Student Mentor: Facilitated field-biology focused retreat for undergraduate students
from backgrounds underrepresented in biology.
