I graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2007 with a BSc in Zoology, for which I modelled the distribution of gazelle species in Egypt as my final project. I then took part in a Tropical Biology Association (TBA) field course in Uganda, where I compared morphological features of birds between forest interior and forest edge. I spent several years contributing to wildlife research and conservation projects in Africa, Asia and Central America with a focus on the conservation biology and status of birds of prey, felids and primates.

In 2010 I began my research on the African golden cat in Gabon, which then became the focus of my doctoral studies with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in collaboration with Panthera and the WildCRU.