Students

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.

Charlotte fell in love with the flora and fauna of the UK at a young age. Her interest in wildlife conservation developed throughout school where she was fortunate enough to volunteer on projects in Madagascar and Ecuador. This led her to complete a BSc in Zoology with Conservation at Bangor University. As part of her degree, Charlotte worked on an elephant reintegration project in Thailand. Charlotte continued to work here after graduating, leading the biodiversity project and educational outreach programme. Following this, she returned to the UK working as an Ecologist for several years, primarily on protected species surveys and mitigation, where her love of bats developed. This year whilst the bats were hibernating, she escaped the cold UK winter and worked in the Seychelles, monitoring lemon shark, turtle, tortoise and mangrove populations. Charlotte is now doing a PhD at the University of Sussex, where she aims to guide bats — with a specific focus on horseshoe species — using acoustic lures and deterrents around anthropogenic threats within the landscape.

Josh developed a love for the natural world through RSPB magazines, wildlife documentaries and adventuring through the Sussex countryside during his childhood. Inspired by visits to the Knepp estate, this love of nature first translated into a research interest through an early project on the long-term sustainability of rewilding on the estate. Josh then completed a BSc in Geography at the University of Exeter, throughout which his interests in the interconnectivity within ecosystems and how people interact with different species deepened. As part of his degree, Josh focused his undergraduate thesis on the carbon sequestration potential of ponds engineered by the reintroduced Eurasian beavers at the Cornwall Beaver Project. Josh also completed a placement year during his degree working at Alldays Wildlife and Communities Research Centre, South Africa, in partnership with the University of Durham. He led two predator research projects at the centre, aiming to develop reproducible, low-cost methodologies for assessing predator abundance in relation to human landscape features for species including leopard and brown hyena on game farms. Josh is now doing a PhD with the University of Exeter, co-funded by Vincent Wildlife Trust. His PhD aims to investigate future scenarios for mammalian carnivore populations in Britain, using mixed methods to assess the emerging ecological and socio-political factors affecting the recovery of these species and their long-term co-existence with humans.

Rebecca Synnott is a conservation biologist and postdoctoral researcher with a background in molecular genetics, invasive species ecology and small mammal conservation. She holds a joint honours degree in Zoology with Cell and Molecular Biology from University College Dublin and recently completed her PhD in South East Technological University with her research focusing on the conservation genetics of red squirrels in Ireland and the management of invasive grey squirrels in the UK. She is currently working on a postdoctoral project funded by Research Ireland through an Enterprise Partnership Scheme with Vincent Wildlife Trust. Her research investigates the origins, genetic diversity and connectivity of the red squirrel population on the Isle of Bute with the goal of supporting conservation strategies for isolated and fragmented red squirrel populations across Britain and Ireland. Rebecca is passionate about bridging research and practice through science communication to promote biodiversity conservation.

Max joined VWT in 2023 as wildcat project officer and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Exeter. His research blends ecology and social science, exploring approaches to wildlife reintroduction that empower both humans and wildlife through participatory decision making, power sharing and conflict mediation. With a background in wildlife biology and community organising, he's interested in bringing diverse perspectives and local knowledge into the wildlife reintroduction process and exploring how this can be incorporated fairly alongside sectoral expertise and the needs of other species. He's also interested in eco-cultural histories and creative works as means to explore ways in which we relate to wildlife both present and absent from the modern British landscape, and as tools for bridging understandings of species identity.

Fascinated by animals and the natural world, Sophie’s passion and intrigue for conservation and welfare were developed from a young age. After spending several years volunteering for wildlife charities and working with her dad on farms, she was inspired to return to higher education. Sophie completed her BSc in Zoology at Aberystwyth University with a Year in Industry as a Research Assistant at Cardiff University Otter Project, which sparked her curiosity for zoonotic diseases and love for ecology. As part of her degree, she completed a research project on metal contamination in Eurasian otters, and her undergraduate dissertation defined the population dynamics of European badgers in Wales. 

Sophie is now part of the OneZoo Centre for Doctoral Training and is doing a PhD at Aberystwyth University, in collaboration with Vincent Wildlife Trust. Focusing on free-roaming cats, her research aims to use interdisciplinary methods to characterise zoonotic assemblages, assess population dynamics and explore environmental factors to understand the risk and transmission of zoonoses in rural Wales.