Carly loves working with people with equal passion for wildlife conservation and looks forward to a career protecting valuable ecosystems and wildlife. 

Carly Thompson came to the University of Michigan to pursue an interdisciplinary education in environmental science with a focus in ecosystem science and management. She is in Dr. Neil Carter’s Conflict and Coexistence lab group and is conducting research on conflict patterns with coyotes and bobcats throughout the state of California for her master’s thesis. 

Carly attended the University of California, Davis, for her undergraduate degree, with a double major in political science and French. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked for years in the private sector in pursuit of meaningful work. In 2019, she began volunteering her time for Save Pangolins, a small nonprofit dedicated to protecting pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammal. 

One volunteer position led to many others for CuriOdyssey Museum and Zoo, Project Mecistops, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In 2020, Carly went back to school and took coursework towards a certificate in Conservation and Resource Management through Merritt College in Oakland, California. 

Before coming to the School for Environment and Sustainability, Carly worked full-time as Programs Manager for Wildlife Conservation Network, a global nonprofit organization based in California. She has stayed on in a part-time capacity to continue her work while pursuing a master’s degree. She loves working with people with equal passion for wildlife conservation and looks forward to a career protecting valuable ecosystems and wildlife. 

CEW+ celebrates Carly’s passion for conservation and names her a Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar.