The Interdisciplinary Conservation Network (ICN) is a collaboration between research groups to hold workshops for PhD students and early career researchers (ECRs).  This year, the Deakin Conservation Science Lab joined Oxford’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science (ICCS) and Sterling Conservation Science as an ICN organising partner.  Lab members Kate Watermeyer…

The world of species-centred conservation faces an interesting emerging challenge: the uncertain future role of rapidly-advancing biotechnology, notably synthetic biology and biofabrication. Almost a century ago, Aldous Huxley wrote his disturbingly prescient novel Brave New…

How did you get to your current position?

I studied mathematics for my undergraduate degree at the University of Nottingham, starting in 2007. During this time, I developed an interest using maths to model complex engineering problems; working on ‘real world problems’ was what really interested me. An undergraduate…

When imagining a stereotypical conservationist, people may think that we spend our time running around the forests counting chimpanzees. However, conservationists increasingly appreciate the need to understand the role of humans in conservation issues, or learn from how some have successfully protected an area or species from ongoing or emerging threats. Conservationists now…

As it turns out, early-career interdisciplinary conservation researchers are much like painted ladies.

At some point early in the British summer, in odd or sometimes consistent years (the reasons of which are not fully known to science), groups of well-…

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research?

I research antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the past, before we discovered antibiotics, bacterial infections were extremely deadly. Once we had discovered antibiotics in the early 1900s, we were able…