Dr Jenny MacPherson – Principal Scientist

Jenny is a zoologist with a background in research on a range of mammal species, including pine marten, dormice, red squirrel, water vole and mink. She gained an MSc in conservation at University College London and then went on to a PhD at Royal Holloway. She joined the Trust in 2011 as project officer on the Mammals in a Sustainable Environment (MISE) project, working with volunteers and local communities on surveys and conservation of a range of mammal species in west Wales. In 2014, Jenny became the Trust’s Pine Marten Project Manager, managing the Pine Marten Recovery Project for England and Wales and the reinforcement of pine martens in Wales. She subsequently became Science and Research Programme Manager in 2018. Office: Maesllyn, Ceredigion.

Daniel Hargreaves – Bat Programme Manager

Daniel joined the Trust in June 2022 as Bat Programme Manager. He rescued his first bat when he was seven years old and has been fascinated by bats ever since. Daniel has been involved with numerous global bat conservation projects, working with a wide range of species and helping to develop conservation initiatives in many countries, including Costa Rica, Thailand and Zambia. He was awarded the Pete Guest Award in 2012 for inspiring others and making an outstanding practical contribution to bat conservation. Daniel has also worked with many bat groups in the UK and developed the National Nathusius Pipistrelle Project to understand the migratory behaviour of this fascinating species. Office: Burtle, Somerset.

Dr Patrick Wright – Senior Scientific Officer

Patrick joined the Trust in 2020 as Senior Science and Research Officer. His PhD, which he completed at the University of Exeter in January 2018, was funded by Vincent Wildlife Trust and focused on the conservation of Bechstein’s bats in Britain. By using a combination of landscape and molecular approaches, he assessed the genetic diversity and structure of the British population of Bechstein’s bats, and developed a molecular assay to estimate the age of individual bats. Since the end of his PhD, he has worked at the University of Sussex on a range of projects, such as developing monitoring techniques for woodland bats and identifying hedgehog roadkill hotspots. Office: Ledbury.

Marina Bollo Palacios – Senior Bat Conservation Officer

Marina joined the Trust in 2018 as Bat Conservation Officer. She is a biologist with a background in conservation research, mainly related to birds. She has been involved in conservation projects within various taxa in Britain, Portugal, Peru and Spain. She gained an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology in 2014. She joined Vincent Wildlife Trust after working as a research assistant for the University of Sevilla, Spain, where she studied breeding success, migration and malaria prevalence in barn swallows. Office: Ledbury.

Jim Mullholland – Senior Bat Conservation Officer

Jim joined the Trust in 2023 as Senior Bat Conservation Officer. He is an ecologist and arboriculturist with specialisms in veteran trees and bats. He has worked for national charities — the Ancient Tree Forum and the Arboricultural Association — during which time he helped raise professional standards by writing industry guidance, delivering high-quality education and promoting cross-discipline working. He is an active bat researcher and is currently leading targeted research for Bechstein’s and barbastelle bats. Office: Ledbury.

Katherine Morley – Carnivore Conservation Officer

Katherine joined the Trust in June 2023 as Carnivore Conservation Officer. Childhood holidays in Scotland stirred up a passion for the natural world and she later completed her undergraduate degree in Animal Behaviour at Liverpool John Moores University before going on to complete her Master’s degree in Conservation Biology at Manchester Metropolitan University. Before moving into ecological consultancy, Katherine joined Cheshire Wildlife Trust as a trainee officer based in Delamere Forest, alongside other volunteer roles. During her time in consultancy she gained several years of experience in protected species surveying and mitigation and worked on a variety of projects from small developments to national infrastructure schemes. Office: Ledbury.

Max Henderson — Wildcat Project Officer

Max joined the team as Wildcat Project Officer in 2023.

Following childhood aspirations to become a “Geordie Steve Irwin”, Max started out volunteering on local conservation projects in the North East before receiving a bachelor’s in biology at Newcastle University.

After traveling abroad to study crocodilian endocrinology in his second and third years, he joined a Master’s programme in the US to study the reproductive health of crocodilian populations exposed to anabolic steroids and DDT.

Alongside his research, he worked to engage local people with environmental projects at an environmental field station in New Orleans and developed a keen interest in community-led environmental action.

Since then, Max has worked to support a variety of Welsh community-led environmental projects and to establish a housing co-operative for new-entrant farmers in Carmarthenshire. Office: Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

Cathy Jewson — Barbastelle Conservation Officer

Cathy joined VWT in December 2023 as Barbastelle Conservation Officer for Pembrokeshire. Cathy’s role has emerged from the collaborative Natur Am Byth! project, which is dedicated to monitoring and supporting some of Wales’ rarest species. Cathy completed her BA in Anthropology in 2021, with environmental anthropology being a key interest of her degree. She has been a keen wildlife conservation and rescue volunteer for many years, volunteering locally and abroad in Africa and Central America with a particular background in the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned birds. She has also completed the BCT training in hands-on bat care. Office: Narberth, Pembrokeshire.