Katie has always been amazed by the natural world, which inspired her to undertake a BSc in Zoology at the University of Glasgow. She was selected to go on a research expedition to Tobago, where she completed her undergraduate thesis on the effects of habitat disturbances on the host-parasite interactions of bats and their ectoparasites. This experience greatly furthered Katie’s interest in bat ecology and conservation, which encouraged her to continue her studies at the University of Glasgow, completing an MRes in Ecology and Environmental Biology. Her research project focused on ectoparasitic bat flies as a possible transmission route for Bartonella in vampire bats, conducting her field work in the rural Andes of Peru. In between her studies, Katie also worked as an Ecologist in the renewable energies sector, primarily undertaking bat activity surveys for wind farm developments. Katie is now doing a PhD at the University of Sussex, co-funded by Vincent Wildlife Trust. Her PhD aims to assess the permeability of landscapes to rare species of bat using novel telemetry techniques and to identify the locations of key swarming and roosting sites.