PhD, MCIEEM
Research PG
- About
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- School/Department
- Combined Studies
Biography
Social scientist with research interests in biodiversity conservation, environmental policy and interdisciplinary collaborations to improve conservation outcomes.
I have a PhD in environmental decision-making from the Department of Geography & Environment, University of Aberdeen. I was previously a Nuffield Parliamentary Fellow, bridging scientific research and policymaking.
Qualifications
- MSc Conservation Biology2013 - Durrell Institute of Conservation & Ecology, University of Kent
- MA(Hons) Social Anthropology with Development2009 - University of Edinburgh
- PhD Geography2025 - University of Aberdeen
Understanding decision-making and knowledge production processes in ecological restoration, rewilding and nature recovery initiatives
External Memberships
Full Member of The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
Associate Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Latest Publications
Integrating people and place into policy: recognising cultural values of nature and lived places for Biodiversity Net Gain
Commissioned by The British Academy. The British Academy. 31 pagesBooks and Reports: Commissioned ReportsSally Hawkins, Ian Convery, Steve Carver and Rene Beyers (eds.), ‘Routledge Handbook of Rewilding’
Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, vol. 19, no. 1-2, pp. 1-2Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and ArticlesCan we learn from the UK’s guerrilla rewilding movement?
OryxContributions to Journals: ArticlesFive critical questions we should ask of rewilding projects—And that social science can help us answer
People and Nature, vol. 7, no. 9, pp. 2119-2135Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHousing: demographic and environmental trends
Working Papers: Working Papers- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/hs129
Prizes and Awards
Winner of the SAGES Graduate School 'Best Publication 2024' under the Transformations in Society and Environmental Policy Theme
- Research
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Research Overview
Research interests:
- science-policy-society interactions
- using social science to improve conservation outcomes
- understanding local conditions in nature recovery, restoration and rewilding projects
Research Areas
Geography and Environment
Research Specialisms
- Social Sciences
- Environmental Management
- Biodiversity Conservation
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
2024 - 2026 Nature Recovery Farming: Supporting the Transition
This project is led by Sheffield Hallam University, working with farmers and other land managers in South Yorkshire and the Peak District to understand their experiences of accessing funding for land management that supports nature’s recovery.
Past Research
2022 - 2025 Understanding stakeholder decision-making for ecological restoration, rewilding and nature recovery initiatives
This project investigated environmental decision-making processes in ecological restoration, rewilding and nature recovery projects. Funded by NERC via QUADRAT DTP.
Knowledge Exchange
I was previously a Nuffield Parliamentary Fellow in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, bridging scientific research and policymaking.
Outputs from my fellowship are available here.
Funding and Grants
2025 - British Academy, 'Place-sensitive understandings of nature recovery in the UK', contributing to the Academy's public policy theme on Sustainable Futures
2024 - Nuffield Foundation POST Fellowship, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
2023 - SAGES Small Grant
2022 - NERC QUADRAT studentship, University of Aberdeen
2022 - NERC PANORAMA studentship, University of Leeds (declined)
- Publications
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Page 1 of 1 Results 1 to 11 of 11
Integrating people and place into policy: recognising cultural values of nature and lived places for Biodiversity Net Gain
Commissioned by The British Academy. The British Academy. 31 pagesBooks and Reports: Commissioned ReportsSally Hawkins, Ian Convery, Steve Carver and Rene Beyers (eds.), ‘Routledge Handbook of Rewilding’
Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, vol. 19, no. 1-2, pp. 1-2Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and ArticlesCan we learn from the UK’s guerrilla rewilding movement?
OryxContributions to Journals: ArticlesFive critical questions we should ask of rewilding projects—And that social science can help us answer
People and Nature, vol. 7, no. 9, pp. 2119-2135Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHousing: demographic and environmental trends
Working Papers: Working Papers- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/hs129
Understanding decision-making in British restoration and rewilding initiatives: a science-driven or selective approach?
Rethinking Wild Europe: European Perspectives on Wilderness, Rewilding and Biodiversity Conservation, pp. 5Contributions to Conferences: AbstractsChildren's wellbeing in schools
UK ParliamentBooks and Reports: Commissioned Reports- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/pn739
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/63d3da4b-dab8-4b99-b56d-df792bded985/download
- [ONLINE] http://dx.doi.org/10.58248/pn739
Emotions shape attitudes towards wolf conservation management in the Italian Alps
European Journal of Wildlife Research, vol. 71, 7Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRewilding in the British policy landscape: A qualitative analysis of policy documents related to rewilding
Scottish Geographical Journal, vol. 141, no. 1-2, pp. 113-138Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRewilding concepts, policy and practice: investigating knowledge integration and decision-making in British rewilding initiatives
Wild Scotland: Interdisciplinary perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of rewildingContributions to Conferences: AbstractsExploring knowledge production and integration in UK rewilding initiatives
The XXIXth European Society for Rural Sociology Congress, pp. 483Contributions to Conferences: Abstracts- [ONLINE] Conference Book of Abstracts
