Position: PhD Research Student
General interests
I have been involved in the field of environmental radioecology for two years, with specific focus on the effects of radionuclides in the environment on wild passerine bird species. I have a background and passion for falconry which has led me into a field of research involving environmental pollution and bird species. My work is investigating the potential of measuring the stress hormone corticosterone from feather samples as a non-invasive bioindicator of radiation exposure in the field, alongside other measures such as global DNA damage and methylation. My research is funded by a NERC doctoral training program called IAPETUS, and I work jointly with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Lancaster, the University of Stirling, and the IRSN in France. I have just completed my first field work collecting samples from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in May 2017, utilising nest boxes as a breeding attractant for two common species of bird, the great tit (Parus major) and pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), and am currently planning a laboratory study involving zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to compare results of radiation exposure found in the field to those of the laboratory.
To find out more about me visit my Researchgate page and/or my University of Stirling homepage.
Academic background
Animal Biology (1st class B.Sc.); University of Stirling (2010-2014)
PhD: CEH and University of Stirling (2015-present)