Biography
Within the Centre for Conservation & Restoration Science I do research that has practical applications for conservation of threatened species and for the wider profession of ecology and environmental management. I have a wide range of interests and I apply a variety of research techniques, including observational studies, experimental work and modelling.
I have carried out applied research for a range of avian and mammalian taxa including passerines, grouse, geese, waders, otters, ibex and badgers. I am also interested in use of technologies for wildlife biology, developing evidence-based approaches for their use and inter-disciplinary partnerships to develop novel approaches for ecological monitoring.
In 2023 I was appointed Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (FCIEEM). I am also a member of the IUCN Otter Specialist Group. I am on the Editorial Board for CIEEM’s quarterly publication ‘In Practice’ and a Subject Editor for the Wildlife Biology journal.
I am Programme Leader for Napier's CIEEM-accredited MSc Wildlife Biology & Conservation where my teaching is led by my research, contributing to the areas of statistics and modelling, applied ecology, biodiversity monitoring and analysis, as well as field surveying techniques and technologies. I am the Life Sciences Subject Group Management Team. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and an External Examiner at University of Lincoln.
I was previously a postdoctoral research scientist in Upland Research Group at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT; 2010-2013) and did my PhD at the Centre for Agri-environmental Research, University of Reading, in conjunction with the GWCT Allerton Project (2005-2009). I have a BSc in Ecological Sciences from the University of Edinburgh (2001-2005). I was inspired to pursue ecological research during summer field/lab-based research assistant posts I did at University of Glasgow (2005) and BBSRC Rothamsted Research's Insect Survey (2003, 2004).
Please contact me if you are interested in doing a PhD project within my lab.