I am a DPhil Biology student at St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford. This year, in partnership with the British Ornithologists’ Club, I’ll be starting a PhD at the Edward Grey Institute, with the aim of developing a better understanding of the many facets of bird behaviour and physiology that lead to incidences of avian collisions with human-made structures. The project will seek to identify common traits between the most collision-prone species, with a particular focus on the consequences of flock behaviour. Aside from this project, I have a keen interest in sensory ecology – that is, the variety of means by which species communicate with each other and interpret the world around them, be it through sight, sound, smell…you name it!
In 2019, I graduated from the University of Exeter in BSc Zoology and later from Royal Holloway University of London in MSc Biological Sciences by Research where I met Dr Steve Portugal, trustee of the BOC and primary supervisor for this project. In the three years since I graduated university, I have been working as a tutor for the Field Studies Council in Exmoor – an environmental education charity that delivers biology and geography field courses primarily to GCSE, A-level and undergraduate students.
When I’m not trying to figure out why birds fly into things, you can typically find me either on a squash court, playing ultimate frisbee (if you’ve not heard of the sport, it’s definitely worth an internet search), or, as I suspect is true for most people reading this, out and about looking for birds! I’m very honoured to have been selected for this opportunity and I’m excited for what lies ahead.
