- Ph.D. in Ecology (2013–2018) Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Ecology Center, Caracas, Venezuela Dissertation: "Distribution, relative abundance and richness of medium and large mammals in a mosaic of forest and savannah in the Gran Sabana, Venezuela: effects of habitat fragmentation, fire and hunting" Supervisor: José Rafael Ferrer Paris, PhD
- M.Sc. in Biology (2006–2011) Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences, Kraków, Poland Dissertation: "Cellular energy budget of the beetles Pterostichus oblongopunctatus originating from metal polluted environments" Supervisor: Prof. Ryszard Laskowski
I am especially interested in the socio-ecological dynamics of protected and conserved areas, with a strong emphasis on community-based conservation. Much of my fieldwork has been conducted in the Amazon and the broader Neotropical region, where I collaborate with Indigenous communities to design sustainable approaches to biodiversity monitoring and natural resource management.
A core element of my work involves bridging science and conservation practice. I actively promote the integration of emerging technologies such as AI-assisted camera trap analysis into conservation monitoring frameworks. I also engage in science communication and capacity-building activities, organizing workshops, webinars, and field trainings to support the development of local expertise and participatory research methods.
Currently, I collaborate with the Open Science Conservation Fund on the development and implementation of Trapper, an open-source software platform for managing and analyzing camera trap data using artificial intelligence. This work aims to advance conservation outcomes in human-wildlife coexistence contexts by applying technological innovations to real-world ecological challenges. I am also a promoter of open access to data and the FAIR idea in scientific research.
- 2022–2025: Assistant Professor, Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Poland
- 2023: Two-month scholarship, University of New South Wales, Australia
- 2022–present: Temporary Researcher, Ecology Center, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas, Venezuela
- 2020–2022: Assistant Professor, Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, University of Łódź, Poland
- 2019–2022: Postdoctoral Fellow, Ecology Center, IVIC, Venezuela
- 2019–2020: Assistant, Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, University of Łódź, Poland
- 2018: Red List of Ecosystem (IUCN) Database Development, NGO Provita, Caracas, Venezuela
- 2017–2018: Translator (Spanish-Polish-English), Embassy of Republic of Poland, Caracas, Venezuela
- 2016–2017: Ambassador Assistant, Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Warsaw, Poland
- 2010: Laboratory Assistant, Ecotoxicology and Stress Ecology Group, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Poland
● 2023: Led "Chocolate con misión" – a sustainable cocoa initiative supporting women’s employment in Venezuela (Polish Aid)
● 2022–2023: Led "Modern monitoring of endangered neotropical mammals" using eDNA (National Science Centre – Miniatura6)
● 2021–2023: Led research on habitat use of elusive mammals in Andean forest, Colombia (IDUB project, University of Łódź)
● 2021–2023: Managed Red de Areas Conservadas (OECMs implementation)
● Since 2019: Environmental consulting for farms in Venezuela: Finca Dos Aguas, El Pauji, La Guaquira
● 2018–2020: Co-developed ecotourism initiative in Indigenous Pemón community, Imataca, Venezuela (UNDP project)
● 2018: Member of Venezuelan Delegation to COP24, UN Climate Change Conference, Katowice
● 2017–2018: Researched ecological thresholds for mammals at forest-savannah edges, Venezuela (IVIC)
● 2013–2014: Participated in jaguar distribution, ecological corridors, and felid genetics projects; camera trapping and spatial analysis across Venezuela (IVIC)
● Nowak K., J Cerri, S Kudrenko, A Kopatz, I Stachowicz, N Selva, AA Berhe, I Kojola, N Šprem. 2025. Weaponizing Europe’s borders imperils wildlife. Science 389: 358-359. DOI: 10.1126/science.adz1318
● Stachowicz, I., Ferrer-Paris, J. R., & Sánchez-Mercado, A. 2024. Leveraging limited data from wildlife monitoring in a conflict affected region in Venezuela. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 1–14.
● Bubnicki, J. W., Norton, B., Baskauf, S. J., Bruce, T., Cagnacci, F., Casaer, J., Churski, M., Cromsigt, J. P. G. M., Farra, S. D., Fiderer, C., Forrester, T. D., Hendry, H., Heurich, M., Hofmeester, T. R., Jansen, P. A., Kays, R., Kuijper, D. P. J., Liefting, Y., Linnell, J. D. C., Stachowicz, I. … Desmet, P. 2023. Camtrap DP: an open standard for the FAIR exchange and archiving of camera trap data. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.374
● Stachowicz, I., Morón Zambrano, V., Giordano, A. J., Ferrer-Paris, J. R., & Kreft, S. 2023. Venezuela’s harmful mining activities grow. Science, 380(6646), 699-699. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh4314
● Fernández del Valle, A.1, Barrios, M., Becerra Durán, W., Briceño, O., Dobobuto, J., Escudero, J., Fajardo, L., Garay G., Gonto Mendoza, R.M., Guardia, R., Marchán, A., Morón Zambrano, V., Parada Cerrada, F., Stachowicz, I.; Stein, E.; Vollmer, H.. 2021. Contribution of vegetation and flora inventories to the proposal for the creation of Conserved Areas in ecosystems in Anzoátegui, Aragua, La Guaira and Yaracuy states, Venezuela. Biollania Edición Especial No. 17. Pp 2-104.
● Stachowicz I., Ferrer-Paris JR, Sanchez-Mercado A. 2021. Shifting cultivation and hunting across the savanna-forest mosaic in the Gran Sabana, Venezuela: facing changes. PeerJ 9:e11612.https://peerj.com/articles/11612/
● Pyrcz TW, Stachowicz I. et al 2021. A New Species of Butterfly of the Genus Protopedaliodes from the Isolated Tramen Tepui in the Guyana Shield (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae). Neotropical Entomology 50:218–228.
● Stachowicz, I., Ferrer Paris, J.R., Quiroga-Carmona, M., Moran, L., Lozano, C. 2020. Baseline for monitoring of medium to large non-volant mammals in eastern Gran Sabana, Venezuela. Therya, 11, 1-12.
https://mastozoologiamexicana.com/therya/index.php/THERYA/article/v iew/891
● Jędrzejewski, W., Boede, E. O., Abarca, M., Sánchez-Mercado, A., Ferrer-Paris, J. R., Lampo, M., Velásqueza, G., Carreñoa, R., Viloria, A., Hoogesteijne, R., Robinsone, H. S., Stachowicz, I., Cerda, H., Mar Weisz, M., Barrosh, T.R, Rivash, G.A, Borgesi, G, Molinari, J., Lew, D., Takiff, H., Schmidt, K., 2017. Predicting carnivore distribution and extirpation rate based on human impacts and productivity factors; assessment of the state of jaguar (Panthera onca) in Venezuela. Biological Conservation, 206, 132-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.027
● Jędrzejewski, W., Puerto, M. F., Goldberg, J. F., Hebblewhite, M., Abarca, M., Gamarra, G., Calderón L. E., Romero, J., Viloria, A.L., Carreño, R., Robinson, H.S., Lampo, M., Boede, E.O., Biganzoli A.,
Stachowicz, I., Velásquez, G., Schmidt, K. 2017. Density and population structure of the jaguar (Panthera onca) in a protected area of Los Llanos, Venezuela, from 1 year of camera trap monitoring. Mammal Research, 62(1), 9-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-016-0300-2
● Ferrer Paris, J. R.; Stachowicz, I., Morán, L., González, L., Sánchez Mercado, A. Y., Lozano, C., Soto, J. A., CardozoUrdaneta, A., Vargas, T. 2015. Caracterización ambiental del Ecoparque “Ojo de Agua El Cardón”, municipio Miranda, estado Zulia. Figshare. http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1418273
● Pyrcz, T.W., Stachowicz I., Garlacz R., 2013. A new Andean element in the lepidopterous fauna of the Guiana Shield: the day-flying genus Erateina Doubleday, with the description of two new species from Roraima, Tramen and Auyán Tepui (Geometridae: Larentiinae). Genus 24 (3-4):291-301.
● Bednarska, A. J., & Stachowicz, I., 2013. Costs of living in metal polluted areas: Respiration rate of the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus from two gradients of metal pollution. Ecotoxicology
22(1),pp.118-124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-1008-y
● Bednarska A. J., Stachowicz I., Kuriańska L., 2013. Energy reserves and accumulation of metals in the ground beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus from two metal-polluted gradients. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 20(1):390-398. doi: 10.1007/s11356-012-0993-y.
● (in review) Silva, N., Nowak, K., Stachowicz I., Kurdenko, S. 2025. Wildlife research and conservation in human conflict-affected areas. The
Handbook of Environmental Chemistry. Environmental Impacts of War. Springer
● Stachowicz, I., J. R. Ferrer-Paris y A. Sánchez-Mercado. 2021. La agricultura migratoria y la cacería de mamíferos y aves en la Gran
Sabana, Venezuela. Pp. 305-329. En: Lasso, C. A. y M. A. Morales- Betancourt (Eds.), IX. La caza y pesca de subsistencia en el norte de Suramérica. Parte I: Colombia, Venezuela y Guyana. Serie Fauna Silvestre Neotropical. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt. Bogotá, D. C., Colombia