Efstathios (Stathis) Giotis

As a veterinarian and virologist specialising in bat-borne viruses and their potential to infect humans, his research focuses on how these viruses cross species barriers, identifying key receptors and host factors involved in spillover events.

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He has contributed to the study of bat influenza viruses and coronaviruses, and their adaptation to new hosts. His work combines virology, genomics, and field studies to track emerging viruses in wildlife and assess their public health risk.

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As lead of the Safe Humans, Safe Bats initiative, Stathis promotes a balanced approach to disease prevention and conservation. His research helps inform strategies to reduce spillover risks while protecting bat populations and enhancing public awareness of zoonotic diseases.

Dr Allyson Walsh

With a wealth of experience that includes leading teams dedicated to helping provide advice about UK bats and co-leading work on bats and health; Allyson holds a doctorate in the landscape ecology of bats from the University of Bristol and has published numerous scientific papers.

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During her career she has directed citizen science projects to monitor bat populations in the UK, contributed to scientific studies on wildlife disease and reintroduction ecology in the USA, and coordinated an Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Infectious Diseases at the University of Cambridge.

 

Allyson is an active member of the IUCN SSC’s Bat Specialist Group, and is interested in providing conservation managers and public health practitioners with relevant information to mitigate human-wildlife conflict

Dr Grace Kia

Dr. Grace Sabo Nok Kia is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine Veterinarian with over 19 years of experience in zoonotic disease surveillance, prevention, and control. She has trained disease detectives through Nigeria's FETP and ISAVET programs to strengthen public health responses.

Her extensive research on rabies led her to establish the War Against Rabies Foundation (WARF) in 2017. Dr. Kia is committed to bat conservation and scientific rigor, partnering with the West African Mammal Fellowship and serving on the advisory board of Small Mammal Conservation Network (SMACON) to mentor future conservationists.

Dr. Kia has made significant contributions through her research on various RNA viruses in bats, such as lyssaviruses, coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses, reoviruses, and rotaviruses, as well as human exposure to novel Bartonella species from fruit bats, enhancing the understanding of zoonotic disease transmission.

Benneth Obitte

He is a Conservation Ecologist. His work cuts across disciplinary lines; combining ecology, psychology, socio-economic, and public health approaches to answer important research questions in African socio-ecological systems. His research interest lies at the intersection of ecology, human dimensions of conservation, and disease ecology. Specifically, he focus on two interconnected broad questions: (1) How do anthropogenic disturbances and changing landscapes impact small mammals, especially bats? and (2) What are the human dimensions underlying these disturbances? He is the co-executive director of Small Mammal Conservation Organization (SMACON), and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Texas Tech University. 

Theophilus Sani

 A dedicated Veterinarian with a strong passion for One Health, zoonotic disease surveillance, and public health interventions. As a core team member of the War Against Rabies Foundation, he actively contributes to rabies awareness, vaccination campaigns, and community engagement to mitigate the disease burden in Nigeria.

His expertise spans emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases, with a upcoming interest in the role of bats as reservoirs of infectious pathogens. He is keen on exploring the epidemiology of bat-borne viruses and their implications for global health security. He remains committed to advancing research and collaborative efforts at the human-animal-environment interface to prevent future outbreaks.

Oluchi Agodi

A bat ecologist and conservationist passionate about understanding bat roost ecology and making conservation issues more relatable to the public in West Africa. She is the Science and Engagement Coordinator at SMACON, where she leads the Eidolon Monitoring Program, a citizen science project tracking Straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) across three major roosts in Nigeria. Beyond monitoring, she supports the planning and execution of SMACON’s projects and aids communication / partner engagements.

As part of SMACON’s collaboration with the Safe Human, Safe Bat initiative, she conducted sociological surveys in Makurdi schools to understand bat hunting among children. Findings from this survey will refine outreach materials, ensuring they are efficient and address the root causes of bat hunting.