Research Interests
In my research, I am analyzing different pathways to enhance food security while simultaneously preserving biodiversity. With Tanzania as a case study, I am exploring how biodiversity would be impacted by an increase in crop production and how such an increase would impact the agricultural markets. In order to model scenarios of possible future land use changes in which biodiversity and crop production are considered differently, I am collecting data with experts’ questionnaires and interviews. This data will then be used in a model to simulate impacts on the Tanzanian economy.
Curriculum vitae
| 2023-2024 | University of Basel doctoral mobility award to University of Cambridge. United Kingdom. |
| Since 2021 | Ph.D. Student in Environmental Sciences. Research Group: Land-Use Change. University of Basel. Switzerland. |
| 2018-2019 | Consultant for the Natural Resource Management Project. German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ). Tanzania. |
| 2014-2017 | Master of Science (Msc) in Integrated Natural Resource Management. Majors: (1) Biodiversity and Nature Conservation and (2) Methodology and Modeling of Sustainability. Humboldt University of Berlin. Germany. |
| 2009-2012 | Bachelor of Science (Bsc) in Agricultural Science. Major: Animal Science. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Sweden. |
Awards and funding
5/2023 Awarded Doc.Mobility@unibas grant to enhance scientific career at the University of Cambridge from 9/2023 to 8/2024
Research activities
Courtney-Mustaphi C., Rebecca Kariuki, Anna Shoemaker, Anneli Ekblom, Linus Munishi, Rob Marchant, Paul Lane, Claudia Capitani, Thomas Biginagwa, Peter Mwangi, Pamela Ochungo, Stefania Merlo, Benny Lwoga, Beny Lilawola, Simone Markoff, Nathan Chellman, Sam Muñoz, Sandra Brugger, Leighton King, Oliver Heiri et al. 2024. Past, present, and future socio-ecological change across the Kenya–Tanzania borderlands: a multidisciplinary synthesis of land use and land cover change evidence. Advances in modelling past human ecosystems – bringing together traditional ecological knowledge, archaeological science and computational archaeology. Institute of Archaeology, University of Cologne, Germany, 22–24 May 2024. 30mins+15mins. See a post on X
Markoff S, Courtney-Mustaphi C, Delzeit R. 2023. Integrating Biodiversity Objectives in Future Cropland Expansion and Intensification in Tanzania. 31st International Congress for Conservation Biology: The future is now: Sustaining biodiversity for today and tomorrow, Kigali, Rwanda, 07-2023.
Markoff, S., Courtney-Mustaphi, C., Delzeit, R. 2022. Analyzing possible pathways to align biodiversity conservation with agricultural development in Tanzania. Oral Presentation. FOURTH MWECAU International Conference 2022: Climate-Smart Solutions for Tropical Mountain Environments: Research, Innovation and Policy for Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies, July 25–29, 2022, Moshi, Tanzania.
Markoff, S., Courtney-Mustaphi, C., Delzeit, R. 2022. Analyzing possible pathways to align biodiversity conservation with agricultural development in Tanzania. Oral Presentation. INTECOL 2022: Frontiers in Ecology: Science & Society, August 28 – September 2, 2022, Geneva, Switzerland.
Markoff S, Courtney-Mustaphi C, Delzeit R. 2023. Integrating biodiversity objectives in future cropland expansion and intensification in Tanzania. [Poster]. British Ecological Society, 12–15 December. Nature and Humans – poster session 1 Dec13. Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Markoff S, Courtney-Mustaphi C, Delzeit R. 2022. Analyzing possible pathways to align biodiversity conservation with agricultural development in Tanzania [Poster]. ECCB 2022: Biodiversity crisis in a changing world, August 22–25, 2022, Prague, Czech Republic.