My work focuses on supporting effective, evidenced-based conservation decision-making, particularly in relation to contestedor controversial issues. Central to this is the integration of ecological science with social and behavioural insights, recognising that conservation challenges are often as much about people, values, and institutions as they are about ecosystems.

My DPhil research examines the ecology and social psychology of wildlife culling, both comparatively across species and contexts and through a particular focus on sustainable deer management in Scotland. Culling is a complex and increasingly salient conservation challenge, situated at the intersection of ecology, biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, policy, animal welfare, ethics, and social psychology. This is particularly evident in landscapes where wild herbivore populations can have substantial ecological impacts, yet interventions to manage them remain socially and politically contested. My research combines ecological modelling with social and evolutionary psychology to understand why culling may be considered acceptable in some species and contexts but contested in others. I investigate how the ecological rationale for culling intersects with social perceptions and the practical realities of wildlife management to identify the conditions under which culling gains or loses its ‘social license’.