Katie Lawton
Research Students
I am currently an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management student in the School of Geography and the Environment, and a member of Oriel College. I am originally from Austin, Texas, USA, and have a passion for creating a better world for people, wildlife and the environment. I am interested in the realm of climate justice and activism, although my main career interest and passion is wildlife conservation and more specifically the intersection of humans and wildlife. Within the human dimensions of wildlife, I’m interested in illegal wildlife trade, trophy hunting, poaching, human wildlife conflict and coexistence, transboundary conservation, and environmental justice in the conservation of species and landscapes.
My current Master’s research is focused on Perceptions of Rhino Trophy Hunting in the United States, and is supervised by Dr. Darragh Hare, from WildCRU and the Department of Biology, and Dr. Dan Challender, from the Department of Biology and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science. This study aims to explore the extent to which adults living in the United States perceive trophy hunting of rhinos to be acceptable or unacceptable, and what factors are associated with differences in acceptability. A substantial amount of funding and support for the wildlife economy in sub-Saharan Africa comes from the US, which makes it an important country to consider when making conservation decisions. The US is also the source of most of the market for trophy hunting, making it a relevant country on which to focus in this research. With trophy hunting of rhinos being part of a contemporary policy debate, this study aims to bridge the gap between controversial external attitudes and pragmatic domestic conservation decisions in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2021, I received a Bachelor of Science from Texas Christian University with a major in Environmental Science, a minor in Biology and a certificate in Wildlife Management. I also took several classes in Spanish, which I am proficient in. I conducted research on Evening bats throughout my undergraduate years, which culminated in a thesis titled Exploring Premature Detachment of Radio-Transmitters Used on Bats in Telemetry Surveys. Also during my undergraduate years, I went to South Africa on a study abroad excursion, which sparked my passion for rhinos after learning about the impacts of poaching. Upon returning from this experience, my classmates and I co-founded a student organization called the TCU Rhino Initiative Club aiming to raise funds and awareness for rhino conservation in South Africa. I thoroughly enjoyed being the president of this organization and getting community members involved in complex conservation issues. After I graduated, I had the opportunity to go back to the Eastern Cape of South Africa near Grahamstown and work as an intern for a landscape restoration initiative. I was also able to help on wildlife veterinary procedures and relocations, and being so close with the animals I was working for was an experience I enjoyed more than anything.
I’m beyond excited to be a part of WildCRU and be surrounded by such inspirational conservationists making a difference around the world!