Omar Ali.jpg

 

Contact Information

Department of Life Sciences
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

 

Location

Professor Peter Bacon Postgraduate Lab
Natural Sciences Building
Tel: 1(868) 662-2002
Ext: 83084

 

 

 

Education 

  • PhD (Candidate) Environmental Biology – The University of the West Indies (2020 – present) 
  • MSc. (Distinction) Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean – The University of the West Indies (2013-2016) 
  • BSc. (Hons.) Environmental and Natural Resource Management (major) with Zoology (minor) – The University of the West Indies (2006-2010).

 

Project Details 

Title: Climate change and amphibian conservation in Trinidad and Tobago
Supervisor: Dr Mark Hulme 
Co-supervisor: Dr Amy Deacon
Advisory Committee: Professor Julia Horrocks (UWI, Cave Hill), Dr Martha Muñoz (Yale University)

 

Work Experience 

  • Ecologist/Herpetologist (Consultant) – Various companies (2015 – present).
  • Project Assistant – On the Job Trainee at IAMovement. (2021 – 2022).
  • Laboratory Demonstrator – Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. (2019-2020 & 2010-2011)
  • Database Assistant –The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. (2017-2018)
  • Study Manager and Activity Leader – The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. (2016- 2017)
  • Research Assistant – On the Job Trainee at the Ministry of Food Production (now Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries).  (2014-2015)
  • Environmental Scientist – Ecoengineering Consultants Limited, St. Augustine. (2011-2014)

 

Select Publications

Books/Chapters

  1. Auguste, R.J., Downie, J.R., Jowers, M.J., Lehtinen, R.M., Mohammed, R.S., and Murphy, J.C.  2022. Amphibians and their conservation in Trinidad and Tobago. In: Part 5 The Conservation, Demise, and Biogeography of Amphibians in the Caribbean. Editd by Neftalí Ríos-López and Harold Heatwole in Volume 9 of the series Amphibian Biology.  Pelagic Publishing, Exeter, UK. In press.
  2. Murphy, J.C., Downie, J.R., Smith, J.M., Livingstone, S.R., Mohammed, R.S., Lehtinen, R.M., Eyre, M., Sewlal, J.N., Noriega, N., Casper, G.S., Anton, T., Rutherford, M.G., Braswell, A.L., Jowers, M.J., and Auguste, R.J. 2018. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago.  Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club. 336 pp. 

Articles

  1. Smith J., Jowers M.J., Auguste R.J., Hoskisson P., Beyts C., Muir G.M., Greener M.S., Thornham D., Byrne I., Lehtinen R., Eyre M., Rutherford M.G., Murphy J.C., De Freitas M., Rivas G.A., Downie J.R. 2021. The distribution and conservation status of the Dwarf Marsupial Frog (Flectonotus fitzgeraldi, Anura, Hemiphractidae) in Trinidad, Tobago, and Venezuela. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 15(1) [General Section]: 36–56 (e273).
  2. Jowers, M.J., Othman, S.N., Borzée, A., Rivas, G.A., Sanchez-Ramirez, S., Auguste, R.J., Downie, J.R., Read, M., and Murphy, J.C. 2021. Unravelling unique island colonization events in Elachistocleis frogs: Phylogeography, cryptic divergence and taxonomical implications. Organisms Diversity and Evolution 21:189-206.
  3. Auguste, R.J. 2019. Herpetofaunal checklist for six pilot protected areas in Trinidad and Tobago. Herpetology Notes 12: 577-585.
  4. Mechkarska, M., Coquet, L., Leprince, J., Auguste, R.J., Jouenne, T., Mangoni, M.L., and Conlon, J.M. 2018. Peptidomic analysis of the host-defense peptides in skin secretions of the Trinidadian leaf frog Phyllomedusa trinitatis (Phyllomedusidae). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology – Part D, 2018: 72-79.
  5. Auguste, R.J., and Hailey, A. 2018. Diversity and species compositions of amphibians of the Aripo Savannas Scientific Reserve, Trinidad, West Indies. Journal of Herpetology 52: 86-93.

 

Natural History Notes

  1. Auguste, R.J., Mohamed, J-M., Maingot, M-E., and Edghill, K. 2021.  Dietary records for Oxybelis rutherfordi (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Trinidad and Tobago. Phyllomedusa 20(1): 89-92.
  2. Auguste, R.J. Fifi, A. 2021. Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor). Diet. Herpetological Review 52: 146-147.
  3. Auguste, R.J., Fifi, A. 2020. Additional record of the invasive mourning gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril and Bibron, 1836) from Trinidad and Tobago, with comments on citizen science observations. Herpetology Notes 12: 1111-1113.
  4. Auguste, R.J. 2020. Using citizen science to rapidly determine the distribution of exploited green iguanas (Iguana iguana) across urban Trinidad and Tobago. Reptiles & Amphibians 27(3): 419-421. 
  5. Auguste, R.J., Dass, K., Baldeo, D. 2018. Discovery of the Puerto Rican Crested Anole, Anolis cristatellus Dumeril and Bibron, on Trinidad. Caribbean Herpetology 63: 1-2.

Full list of publications at Google Scholar Profile: link

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