Moe Moe joined the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in April 2025. She is a Visiting Fellow of the Institute of International Education–Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) and an Illinois Scholar at Risk (ISAR). Her first year as a visiting scholar was hosted by Texas Tech University in 2024.

Previously, she was a professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Mandalay, Myanmar. Her research has focused on bat ecology and diversity in Myanmar, in collaboration with students, colleagues, and both regional and international experts. She has published her findings in national and international journals. At UIUC, she is currently working at the Kingston Lab in the EEB Department and is writing about the impact of the military coup on biodiversity conservation in Myanmar.

Since 2021, Myanmar has been governed under military control, which gave rise to the Civil Disobedience Movement. Many faculty and staff were dismissed, resulting in the biodiversity research and conservation coming to a halt. While young people organized the People’s Defense Forces to resist the regime, this escalating conflict has led to widespread internal displacement and increasing numbers of camps outside urban areas. These revolutions have caused habitat loss and heightened risks of biodiversity decline and extinction.

Moe Moe works on her research writing in the Lab, the Main Library, and other quiet spaces across campus. She also takes advantage of professional development opportunities, training programs, and other campus activities. In her free time, she enjoys walking around UIUC and attending Chambanamoms events to connect with the local community.