Backed by a Boone and Crockett Club University Programs fellowship, Jamshid Parchizadeh traveled from the bustling streets of Tehran to the rugged coast of Alaska, driven by a singular mission: to serve wildlife through science.

By PJ DelHomme 

For Parchizadeh, the road to becoming a wildlife biologist was anything but a straight line. It was a journey that spanned continents, mastery of new languages, and patience, thanks to a global pandemic. Today, as a research scientist at Michigan State University and a Boone and Crockett Fellow, Parchizadeh is turning his lifelong passion for large mammal species, including carnivores, into critical management data at the international level, including Kodiak brown bears.

A City Kid with a Wild Calling

Born in Tehran in 1985, Parchizadeh did not grow up in the woods. "Tehran is a big city like Chicago. Lots of traffic, so populated," he says. Yet, at 18, a move to Mazandaran Province in northern Iran to study biology opened his eyes to the natural world. There, in the habitat of Persian leopards and brown bears, he found his calling. He worked first as a wildlife technician, then as a fisheries technician, and, at the same time, studied to earn his bachelor’s degree.

He moved to Pune, Maharashtra, India, in 2009 to earn his Master’s in Zoology, a transition that required him to learn English from scratch. "In my language (Farsi), we use one word for both sexes," he recalls, noting that mastering the "he" and "she" of the third person was one of many hurdles. Nevertheless, he worked on migratory and resident birds for his thesis and obtained his degree in 2012.

He returned to Iran in 2012, where he started working as a wildlife biologist on a variety of animal species, including the Persian leopard and brown bear. Despite the many challenges he faced, his work broke new ground. For instance, he conducted the first-ever camera-trap research on brown bears in Lar National Park, located between Mazandaran and Tehran Provinces in northern Iran. His findings had immediate, real-world applications. Parchizadeh discovered that poachers were most active when game wardens were absent, and that the park’s brown bears were transient, crossing back and forth over the park boundary. "I think it was effective because the officials at Lar National Park found out that there were poachers," he says, noting that his data helped expose the gaps in protection.

Parchizadeh also worked on a critically endangered felid, the Asiatic cheetah. “When I started working on them, there were an estimated 50 individuals left in the wild, and we tried to save these individuals from total extinction,” he says. Iran lost the Asiatic lion and the Caspian tiger decades ago, which made the cheetah more important to Iranian wildlife biologists, including Parchizadeh. “Our team worked hard, and I hope that my efforts had a positive impact on this small cheetah population,” he adds. Though Parchizadeh is no longer working as a wildlife biologist in Iran, he is still involved in increasing global public awareness of the fragile status of the Asiatic cheetah through media and press, and by publishing in scientific journals like Nature.   

The Rejection that Started It All

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Parchizadeh’s path to the United States began with a professional setback that turned into an opportunity.  In 2013, he submitted a manuscript on brown bears to the journal Ursus, where Jerry Belant, the current Boone and Crockett Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Michigan State University, was an associate editor.

"After about 22 minutes, Jerry rejected my submission," Parchizadeh laughs.

But that rejection sparked a conversation. The two stayed in contact, becoming friends and colleagues over the years. In 2019, Belant offered him a position in his lab. However, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down U.S. embassies, forcing Parchizadeh to work remotely from Iran for two years. Finally, in January 2022, he left his city and family, and arrived in Syracuse, New York, later moving with the lab to East Lansing, Michigan.

"When you immigrate to another country, it’s important to have someone to talk to, and Jerry has always been there," Parchizadeh says. “He has supported me in science and my personal life, too.”

“Jamshid has been wonderful to work with and an integral part of the Boone and Crockett Program in Wildlife Conservation at MSU,” Belant says. “His knowledge and perspectives beyond North America have been instrumental toward informing our understanding of wildlife conservation.”

Decoding the Kodiak Bear

Parchizadeh’s Ph.D research focused on "Brown Bear Denning and Harvest on the Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska." His work tackles knowledge gaps that directly influence harvest quotas and long-term population management.

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He tested three major hypotheses to see what drives bear denning behavior. Was it physiographic factors (physical characteristics of the land’s surface and terrain), young protection, and/or food quality dependence? "We did not find support for any of these hypotheses," he explains. Far from being a failure, this result highlighted the species' resilience. "This makes Kodiak [bears] different from brown bear populations elsewhere. They are more adaptable. These results will be published in a scientific journal soon,” he adds.

In addition, he investigated whether hunting led to smaller bears (the selective harvest hypothesis). His data showed the opposite: both the age and total skull size (as an indicator of body size) of harvested bears have increased over time, indicating that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's (ADF&G) management strategies are effective. "Our science showed that ADF&G is doing a great job," he says. “And management is working.”

“Jamshid’s work has demonstrated the success of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s brown bear harvest management program on the Kodiak Archipelago, which ensures the long-term health of this iconic population,” Belant adds.

The Boone and Crockett Factor

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For Parchizadeh, the Boone and Crockett Fellowship was the bridge that enabled his doctoral work. "I am not a rich person, nor was my father, to support my studies in the U.S.," he says candidly. “The program helped me financially to complete my Ph.D, and I would like to sincerely thank them.”

Beyond the funding, the Fellowship connected him to a network of conservation leaders and mentors, including Dr. Jon Swenson in Norway, who has mentored him for 13 years. Swenson started working with Parchizadeh in the middle of a camera-based study of brown bears in an Iranian nature reserve. “I was intrigued by his enthusiasm and motivation in our first correspondence, as he had conducted the camera study mostly using his own time and covering his expenses,” Swenson says. “That reminded me of myself, conducting wildlife studies in Eastern Montana as a young student.” Swenson also worked with him on his Ph.D. dissertation, serving on his committee. “He has so much to offer,” Swenson says. “His greatest assets are his motivation and drive, besides intelligence and curiosity. He has come so far already that I hope he will be able to find work as a professional biologist.” 

This support system is vital for international researchers who leave everything behind to pursue their science. Looking ahead, Parchizadeh’s goal remains simple and grounded in wildlife conservation and management. "Right now, all I need is a permanent job in wildlife management, so I can serve the wildlife," he says.

Boone and Crockett Fellows Program

Through its Fellows Program, the Boone and Crockett Wildlife Conservation Program supports graduate students in wildlife conservation and related fields. A Boone and Crockett Fellow is an undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral student supported by Boone and Crockett funding and/or advised by a Boone and Crockett professor or professional member. In addition to displaying academic excellence, Boone and Crockett Fellows are committed to scholarship that:

1. Promotes effective conservation policy through dedication to research, education, outreach, and service.
2. Exhibits leadership in wildlife conservation.
3. Helps others understand the mission of the Boone and Crockett Club and the evolution of conservation in the United States.
4. Recognizes and appreciates the values of hunting and fishing and the principles of Fair Chase.

For more information about Boone and Crockett Club Fellows or its University Programs, please contact Luke Coccoli, Director of Conservation Research and Education, at [email protected].