Asian Brown Bear Expert Team Co-Chair

Zalmai Moheb is a wildlife biologist from Afghanistan with nearly two decades of experience in wildlife research and conservation. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Kabul University in 2005 and began his career in wildlife conservation in 2006. In 2009, he earned a master’s degree in wildlife science from India, followed by continued research and conservation work with the Wildlife Conservation Society program in Afghanistan. Through a Fulbright scholarship, Zalmai completed his Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, in 2020. His doctoral research focused on human–wildlife conflict in Wakhan National Park in northeastern Afghanistan. Over his career, he has worked in both field- and office-based roles, conducting research on wild species as well as contributing to national conservation management and biodiversity strategy development. His research covered a wide range of species, including brown bears, mountain ungulates, snow leopard, Persian leopard, birds, and issues related to human–wildlife conflict. Before returning to the United States in 2024 for postdoctoral research, Zalmai served as Conservation and Science Director for the Wildlife Conservation Society program in Afghanistan. He currently teaches undergraduate courses at the University of Massachusetts and conducts research with a focus on human–wildlife conflict under climate change in the Northeastern United States. He also works on species in Asia with international collaborators.