CV

Education

  • 2014 – 2019: Ph.D. Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG),Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China
  • 2010 – 2012 M.Sc. Forest and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, Netherlands
  • 2002 – 2006 B.Sc. in Natural Resource Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana                               

Professional Work Experience

  • Certification Staff Auditor, Rainforest Alliance, Ghana, January 2013 – October 2014
  • Certification Manager, Kumasi Wood Cluster Association, Ghana, October 2007 – August 2010

Teaching and Mentoring Experience

  • January 2017 – August 2018, Yejing Wang (Msc. XTBG-CAS). Architectural responses of spinescent and non-spinescent saplings to simulated herbivory (co-supervised with Prof. Kyle W. Tomlinson).
  • July  – August 2018, Chen Huayang (MSc. College of Forestry GXU). Measuring photosynthetic performance of saplings using LICOR LI6400 ( co-mentored with Uromi Goodale).
  • August 2006 – August 2007, Teaching Assistant, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, KNUST, Ghana.              

Fellowships

  • 2014: Chinese Government Scholarship: Awarded to pursue Ph.D. in plant-herbivore interactions at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • 2010: Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholar:  Awarded to pursue M.Sc. in Forest and Nature Conservation at Wageningen University

Funding 

  • New Phytologist Symposium Grant, 2019:  Awarded to attend the 44th New Phytologist Symposium, Accra, Ghana, August 2019
  • Graduate Training Grant, Chinese Government Scholarship, 2018: Awarded to attend the Savanna Science Network Meeting, Skukuza, South Africa, March 2018
  •  XTBG-CAS Graduate Travel Grant, 2017: Awarded to attend the Gordon Research Conference in Ventura, CA, USA, February 2017

Honors and Awards

  • Winner – New Phytologist Poster Prize, 44th New Phytologist Symposium, Accra, Ghana, August 2019

Presentations

Armani, M.,  Goodale U.M., Charles-Dominique, T., Tomlinson, K.W. December 2019. What spiny plants can tell us about plant growth and defence. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) Annual Academic Meeting., Menglun, China. Selected student presentation (15 mins)

Armani, M.,  Goodale U.M., Charles-Dominique, T.,  Barton, K.E., Tomlinson, K.W. August 2019. Early emergence and investment in spines across saplings. 44th New Phytologist Symposium, Accra, Ghana. Selected poster talk (15 min). https://www.newphytologist.org/symposia/44

Armani, M.,  Charles-Dominique, T., Tomlinson, K.W. March. 2018. When is a spine not a spine? Savanna Science Network Meeting, Skukuza South Africa. Selected poster talk (5 mins)

Armani, M.,  Charles-Dominique, T., Tomlinson, K.W. December 2017. Babies with sharp teeth and the confident gambler: spines in tree juveniles. Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) Annual Academic Meeting., Menglun, China. Selected student presentation (15 mins)

Armani, M.,  Charles-Dominique, T., Tomlinson, K.W. February 2017. Growth – defense strategies of spiny and non-spiny plants, Gordon Research Seminar and Conference, Ventura, CA, USA.  Poster

Memberships in Scientific Organizations

  • Association for Tropical Biology for Conservation (ATBC)
  • British Ecological Society (BES)
  • Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS)

Technical Skills

  • GIS: ArcGIS and Diva-GIS
  • Computing: Statistical analyses with R (Linear and generalized mixed-models,Multivariate analyses, Phylogenetic least square analysis, spatial statistics)
  • Language: English (advanced), Chinese (basic)