Koi Pillay

BSc Hons (UCT)

Koi grew up in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in a heavily forested suburb. From a young age he enjoyed nature and learning about animals, thanks to his father, who was equally obsessed with nature and inspired him to pursue science. Due to the location he grew up in, he was also aware of the lack of opportunities many people of colour experience and the lack of representation in the biological sciences field.

From the age of 6 he knew he was destined to be a biologist but only at the age of 15 did Koi know that birds were his passion and that he was going to study them one day. 

He completed his undergraduate degree at UCT in Applied Biology, Applied Statistics and Ecology and Evolution in 2020. Thereafter he took a side quest on the road to ornithology and completed a BSc Honours on seed dispersal in Namaqua daisies (supervised by Prof. GA Verboom, Dr NG Bergh, Prof AG Ellis, and T Parker). In 2022, Koi started his master’s with Associate Professor Arjun Amar on human–raptor conflict after being inspired by Arjun’s lectures in honours. His master’s research project was upgraded to a PhD in July 2024, and Associate Professor Robert Thomson also became a co-supervisor. 

Koi is a queer transgender man and one day hopes to provide representation in biology, and specifically ornithology, as a trans person of colour. His goal is to one day lecture at a university and provide the support and courage that his lecturers gave him during his studies. Koi hopes to inspire other queer students and create a more inclusive and understanding workspace for everyone he interacts with. When he is not in his office (rare as that is!), he can be found helping his friends with fieldwork, hiking, learning photography and training to be a bird ringer. 

His thesis comprises four data chapters tackling various categories of human–raptor conflict. The first is a large literature review, the second is an estimation of raptor persecution in the UK associated with Red Grouse management, and the third and fourth chapters explore pigeon racers and raptors in South Africa.

Thesis:

Human–raptor conflict: Exploring the causes, consequences and solutions for human–raptor conflicts (Supervisor: Arjun Amar)