About

Thanks for visiting my website. I’m a biologist interested in animal behaviour and ecology. My first degree was in Zoology from UCL and my PhD, on conflict management in Japanese macaques (awarded the Napier Medal from the Primate Society of Great Britain), was from the University of Liverpool.

After a short lecturing post, teaching animal behaviour and evolutionary psychology at the University of Liverpool, I moved to Liverpool John Moores University where I am a Reader in Primate Behaviour and Co-Director of the Research Centre for Evolutionary Anthropology & Palaeoecology. My primary areas of research are social behaviour and socio-ecology of primates and other animals (see projects and publications under Research). I have been lead supervisor for seven PhD students  and recently, was fortunate to be nominated by my students and awarded the Faculty “Outstanding Doctoral Supervisor” Award. Enquiries from potential postdocs and PhD/MPhil students related to my areas of interest are always welcome.

At LJMU, I teach animal behaviour, primatology and research methods to undergraduate and postgraduate students. I hold a teaching qualification (Fellow of the Higher Education Academy), an LJMU Teaching Observation Certificate and have received nominations for three successive years for “Amazing Supervisor” / “Amazing Personal Tutor” in the Liverpool Student Union Amazing Teaching Awards.

Public engagement and science communication are important aspects of academic research and I enjoy writing articles and being involved in outreach. Check out some recent articles in The Conversation:

What primates can teach us about managing arguments during lockdown

Safari tourism may make elephants more aggressive – but it’s still the best tool for conservation

How monkeys make friends and influence each other.  Also translated into The Conversation in French here .

Diversity and Inclusion Work

I am active in translating institutional policies for diversity and inclusion into actionable strategies for cultural change. I am our Departmental Equality Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Coordinator, a Member of our Faculty of Science EDI Panel, and work alongside some fabulous colleagues as Chair of the LJMU Decolonising The Curriculum Working Group (which I co-established). In 2022, I was awarded the John Moores Student Union VP Education Award for work advancing decolonising the curriculum across the university.

I have been a member of our university Staff Diversity Network for over 20 years, an LJMU LGBT+ Ally and co-led our successful departmental Athena SWAN Bronze Award application to advance gender equality. I am a Member of our Faculty of Science Animal Welfare & Ethical Research Group, the Primate Society of Great Britain Research Committee and the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Equality Diversity Inclusivity and Accessibility Committee. 
Recent external presentations:

• Dec 2022 Society for Experimental Biology Conference: Diversifying and Decolonising the Biosciences
• July 2022 Advance HE EDI Colloquium: Decolonising Pedagogies
• Jun 2022 Universities and Professional Bodies Working in Partnership to Decolonise the STEM Curriculum’ Workshop (Invited).

Recent Diversity and Inclusion projects:

• Decolonising the curriculum approaches and resources (2021) LJMU Teaching and LearningAcademy (£10,824)
• Increasing awareness of inclusivity and harassment reporting (2022) LJMU Teaching and LearningAcademy (£3,730)