I am a PhD researcher with WildCRU researching black rhino translocations. My project focuses on determining how we evaluate the success of conservation tools such as translocations, working with the Kenyan Rhino Range Expansion Initiative (KRRE) who are aiming to double the number of black rhino in Kenya by 2037. I will be focusing on post-release settlement behaviour of black rhino to determine the factors influencing the success of this process, and on how effectively translocations can enhance connectivity in a fragmented landscape. I am co-supervised by Dr Egil Dröge and Dr Dawn Burnham.

My previous research experience has taken me all over the world, including human-shark conflict mitigation in South Africa, elephant-human conflict and spatial ecology in Botswana, and publishing the first peer-reviewed documentation of coral spawning in the Indian Ocean.

Prior to starting my DPhil, I have spent time in South Africa working with white and black rhino, as well as three years managing a coral restoration project in the Maldives. Despite varied experience across multiple ecosystems and taxa, I have always had a strong passion for African savanna ecology and rhino conservation in particular, and so am excited to be working with the KRRE for my DPhil with WildCRU.

Alongside my academic work, I am also a conservation communicator, creating wildlife and conservation content for an audience of more than 250,000 people across social media. Through this work, I have collaborated with conservation organisations all over the world, including Save The Rhino International and Jamma Conservation and Communities.