My main area of focus is understanding and developing strategies to address human-wildlife conflict, which is a pressing conservation threat to multiple species, especially large carnivores. This is a major research focus in our unit, and we are linked with the IUCN Human Wildlife Conflict Specialist Group. There are many areas which would be valuable for DPhil students to examine, such as which factors predispose an area to conflict, how species respond to conflict mitigation strategies, and how changes in 'actual' conflict relate to perceived conflict. A wide variety of methods can be used to understand and address human-wildlife conflict, including local stakeholder surveying and engagement, modelling of conflict occurrence and dynamics, and the trialling of conflict mitigation tools.
I also work on sustainable use issues, with a particular focus on trophy hunting, examining the conservation, social and policy aspects of this highly contested issue. This is another topic that is rich for DPhil students, particularly examining the economic, social and conservation costs and benefits of this wildlife use, compared to another one such as photo tourism.
Experience & Qualifications
MSc and PhD, Senior Research Fellowship, 15 years of Fellowship experience, with 10 years of supervisory and teaching experience
