The World Lagomorph Conference is delighted to announce its plenary speakers who are leading experts in the field of wild rabbit, hare and pika research. Plenary sessions (45 mins + 10 mins for Q&A) will include:

	Professor David Hik   Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Canada David publishes extensively on the structure and dynamics of plant and animal populations and their interactions in mountain and high latitude regions including collared and American pika (Ochotona collaris and O. princeps). His work on the latter ranges from their foraging behaviour such as patch selection, gene flow, genetic structure and isolation, thermal environments and using pika as a model species for studying the biological impacts of climate change on Alpine environments. His work extends to include many other species in the ecosystems in which pika occur including bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
	Professor Janet Rachlow   Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Department Head of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, USA Janet’s research focuses on the behavioural ecology and conservation of mammals with a particular focus on pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) within American sagebrush ecosystems. This work covers population biology, genetics monitoring, dispersal, habitat selection, diet, seasonal variation, interspecific interactions, burrow use, and the use of state-of-the-art technologies including Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones). Janet has also worked on other lagomorphs including snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus).
	Dr Irina Ruf   Head of Section Mammalogy, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt, Germany Irina’s work uses the Order Lagomorpha as a model morphological system to examine comparative anatomy of skeletal and dental morphology to understand the evolution and taxonomy of lagomorphs often focusing on less well-known taxa including fossil and contemporary species spanning the Eocene to the present-day. She is particularly interested in anatomical and functional specialisation of small herbivores including sensory, dietary and locomotory adaptations comparing lagomorphs to other taxa to gain insights into selection processes.
	Dr Mafalda Ferreira   Postdoctoral researcher in Evolutionary Genomics, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Sweden Mafalda is interested in evolutionary genomics to understanding how species adapt to their environment using transcriptomics, population genomics and introgression ecology. Her recent publications focus on the role of introgression in driving winter coat colour polymorphism in the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) in Europe and the snowshow hare (L. americanus) and white-tailed jackrabbit (L. townsendii) in North America. This work uses transcriptomics to reveal the impact of past (and likely future) climate change on camouflage strategies affected by changes in snowfall and background-coat colour mismatch with respect to predation and selection.