My Research Page

My Google Scholar Page

I am a lecturer in Ecology and Conservation, with a keen interest in behavioural ecology. My goal is to better understand animal behaviour by studying it in the context of its ecology and evolution, and most of my work involves studying animals in the wild. I have worked with a range of birds (from Amazonian antbirds to honeyguides and junglefowl to Kalahari weaverbirds) and mammals (mainly meerkats!).

Broadly, I am interested in cooperation and conflict across different levels of organisation in biology. I am particularly interested in the ecology and evolution of:

• Interspecies cooperation
• Cooperative breeding
• Intergroup conflict and warfare
• Conflict within social groups
• Life-history trade-offs
• Social effects on animal health and ageing
• Human-wildlife cooperation and its conservation

My research currently focusses on two projects:

The ecology and evolution of cooperation and conflict in Kalahari meerkats (The Kalahari Meerkat Project)

Meerkats live in highly cooperative groups, working together to raise their young in the harsh Kalahari desert. In spite of their seemingly cooperative nature, group members are also in competition with one another, and with rival groups. My group investigates how this cooperation evolved and is maintained, and how conflict is resolved without causing chaos. We are currently investigating intergroup encounters, in which groups fight over access to resources. What are the best strategies when collective violence breaks out, and what are the consequences of these battles?

The ecology and conservation of human-wildlife cooperation

Human-wildlife cooperation occurs when a wild animal works together with one or more people to achieve a common goal, without requiring captivity, domestication, or coercion. Examples include dolphins cooperatively fishing with people, and honeyguides guiding ‘honey-hunters’ to wild bees’ nests. I co-founded an international consortium which defined human-wildlife cooperation, and aims to understand these unique interspecies partnerships’ ecology and evolution, and how best to conserve them.

In addition, my work with Prof. Claire Spottiswoode focusses on one specific case of human-wildlife cooperation: the human-honeyguide mutualism, in which people cooperate with greater honeyguide birds to locate and access wild bees’ nests. We are addressing questions including how this cooperative relationship is resilient to cheats, how it affects other species, whether and how honeyguides learn to cooperate, and how human (and possibly honeyguide) culture influences this remarkable partnership.

• Lecturer in Ecology and Conservation, University of East Anglia (Jul 2024- )
• Lecturer in Life Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University (Jan 2024 → Jun 2024)
• Senior Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge (Jul 2018 → Dec 2023)
• Post-Doctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge (Jan 2014 → Jun 2018)
• PhD Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology, University of Exeter
• MSc Integrative Biosciences, University of Oxford
• BA Biological Sciences, University of Oxford

Masters and PhD Positions

Please get in touch if you wish to chat about post-graduate research opportunities in my group, and possible sources of funding.

Post-Doc and Fellowship Opportunities

I am always happy to discuss possibilities for post-doctoral research projects, collaborations and funding applications. Please get in touch to chat about opportunities including the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program, UK Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships, or grant applications with a candidate as a named post-doc.

• Field ecology 5013A (ecology field course in west Ireland)