• UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, England                                           Mar 2021- May 2021

Associate Programme Officer in the UNEP WCMC Science team, working on ecosystem services and biodiversity.

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• UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, England                                            Dec 2020- Mar 2021

Intern in the UNEP WCMC Science team, mapping nature's contributions to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals within protected areas. The work involves working with spatial datasets in QGIS, Co$tingNature, and WaterWorld, and will result in a scientific publication to be used by policy makers and academics.

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• University of Cambridge, Cambridge,  England                                                                               Oct 2019 - Dec 2020 Graduate student

 

Environmental research investigating the impact of microplastic pollution on  the ecosystem services of freshwater mussels (Dreissena bugensis). I investigated the impact of polyethylene pollution on clearance rate and biodeposition of mussels. This work will inform on the impacts of increasing plastic pollution on ecosystem functioning. The findings will be published in due course.

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• Institute for European Environmental Policy, Brussels,  Belgium                                                           Jul 2019 - Aug 2019 Environmental ​Policy intern

 

Work at the interface of science and policy with the IEEP in Brussels. Undertook research in EU biodiversity policy and the bio economy, with a focus on good ecological approaches that support environmental conservation and ecosystem services. Investigated policy opportunity links between supporting biodiversity and addressing climate change.

 

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• University of Oxford, Oxford, England                                                                                                           Jun 2019 - Jul 2019 Environmental metabolomics researcher

 

Metabolomics laboratory work in the McCullagh Group at the Department of Chemistry (University of Oxford) under the supervision of Dr. David Hauton. Undertook gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomic analysis, from sample preparation through to statistical analysis. Studied oyster samples exposed to varying levels of aquatic pollutants and parasite load. Findings will be published in due course.

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• ​University of Oxford, Oxford, England                                                                                                           Jul 2019 - Dec 2018 Avian malaria field and laboratory researcher

 

Study of avian malaria in eastern Australia. Assisted in the mist netting, banding, and bleeding of birds in order to collect morphological data and blood samples for subsequent analysis. Undertook the fieldwork in collaboration with Dr William Feeney.

                                                                                                                                   

Undertook two months of lab work in the Clegg Lab in the Department of Zoology (University of Oxford). Ammonium acetate precipitation method was used for DNA extraction, which was followed by a series of Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) to screen for avian malaria infection. If the sample harboured an infection, this was prepared and sent for Sanger sequencing.

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The results were analysed in the context of the ecological determinants of avian malaria prevalence, with particular emphasis on the effects of urbanisation, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. For this I developed a novel urbanisation index. Findings will be published  in due course.

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• Research Expedition, Marquesas Archipelago, French Polynesia                                                           Aug 2018 - Sep 2018  Lead scientific officer and medical officer

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Independent six week long expedition to study the threats facing island species by surveying the last remaining population of the endemic and critically endangered ultramarine lorikeet (Vini ultramarina) and iphis monarch (Pomeara iphis), for which I was the lead scientific officer and medical officer.   

                                                                                                                         

Raised over £15,000 in funds to support expedition to one of the most remote islands in the world. Designed and implemented scientific methodology, including line transects, point counts, and occupancy modeling in order to survey the avian populations and to explore conservation threats.

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As well as employing scientific survey methods, we documented the conservation success on the Marquesas Islands through photo essays and a film documentary. Worked with islanders, local conservation agency, La Société d'Ornithologie de Polynésie Manu (SOP Manu), and BirdLife International. Findings will be published in due course.                

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• Regensburg University, Regensburg, Germany                                                                                          Aug 2017 - Sep 2017 Animal behaviour researcher

 

Investigated the conflict of private information in the ant Lasius niger. Information use during foraging was studied through behavioural experiments, where it was established whether the ants prioritised route memory or associative memory.

 

The research was done in the Animal Comparative Economic Lab, under the supervision of Tomer Czaczkes at the University of Regensburg. I am co-author on a paper in Animal Cognition.

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• Princeton University, Princeton, United States                                                                                       Jun 2017 - Aug 2017 Conservation effectiveness and bioacoustics researcher

 

Undertook research evaluating the effectiveness of different conservation strategies, with a particular emphasis on protected areas and the impact on social, economic, and environmental variables. 

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We worked with environmental science news outlet Mongabay to publish an article on the research and create a visualisation to communicate the findings to a non scientific audience.

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Additionally, I undertook an independent project working in bioacoustics. The projects were undertaken in David Wilcove's lab, affiliated with the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) program, working closely with Zuzana Burivalova. I am co-author on a paper in Conservation Science and Practice.