Rachel Blount (2021-2023)
Part-time MRes student studying the impact of beaver habitat modification on bats. Rachel works as a Principal Ecologist at Atkins Réalis.
Sarah Bell (2020-2023)
NERC-funded laboratory technician and valued member of our research team supporting a project on reproductive and social behaviour in wild house mice.
Dr Simon Hunter Barnett (2019-2023)
NERC funded PhD on gut microbiomes of wild house mice. Simon took up a research post at the University of Liverpool after his PhD.
Dr Emma Cartledge (2018-2023)
NERC funded PhD on ‘Innovations and tools to support hazel dormouse conservation ecology’, with project partners Cheshire Wildlife Trust and PTES. Emma won a John Glover Fellowship before taking up a PDRA position at Nottingham Trent University on hedgehog conservation.
Dr Callum Duffield (2017-2022)
NERC funded PhD on Effects of intergroup competition on the behaviour and reproductive success of female house mice. Callum took up a position as an analytical research scientist and software developer at Chelonia Ltd.
Dr Natalie Koch (2018-2022)
BBSRC funded PhD on the application of a new non-invasive mass spectrometry technique for population monitoring. Natalie took up a College Lecturer position at Southern Regional College, Northern Ireland.
Simon Gibson (2018-2022)
Animal care technician and valued member of our research team. Simon moved to a position as Marine, Environment and Biodiversity Officer for the Belfast Harbour.
Dr Louise Cheynel (2019-2022)
Post-doctoral Research Associate studying gut microbiomes of wild house mice. Louise’s PhD supervisor was Jeff Lemaitre, who studied for his PhD with us, making Louise a second-generation MBE group member. Louise took up a PDRA position in eco-immunity and wildlife health at the University of Lyon.
Dr Rhiannon Bolton (2015-2021)
NERC funded PhD on proximate mediators of behaviour in cooperatively breeding mammals, with applications to breeding programmes for endangered species. Rhiannon co-founded the charity Nature’s SAFE, where she now works as a Charity Co-ordinator and Research Scientist helping to prevent extinction by preserving cells and tissues of endangered species in a living biobank.
John Waters (2003-2020)
As a senior technician and NACWO, John has been a key member of our animal care team and supported many research projects. John moved to a position as Business Development Manager at Castium Ltd.
Dr Holly Coombes (2016-2020)
NERC funded PhD studying competitive and reproductive signalling in scent communication. Holly took up a Post-Doctoral Research Associate position at the University of Oxford where she is studying how variation in the gut microbiome of wild rodents affects host phenotypes.
Dr Giacomo D’Ammando (2016-2020)
NERC funded PhD on animal communication systems. Giacomo took up a role as Research Project Coordinator for conservation charity in Tanzania and is now working as a Research Manager for Save the Elephants in Kenya.
Dr Stefan Fischer (2015-2019)
SNSF Postdoctoral Fellow and NERC Funded Post-doctoral Research Associate studying female competition and cooperation in wild house mice. Stefan is now a Post-doctoral Research Associate at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology in Vienna.
Dr Rutendo Shackleton (nee Wazara) (2015-2019)
University of Liverpool funded project on social welfare of captive elephants. Tendo is a STEM ambassador and is currently building a career as a natural history presenter with the BBC, where she works as a Podcast Host and Junior Researcher.
Dr Kristine Meise (2015-2019)
NERC funded Research Associate studying animal communication systems. Kristine moved to the University of Bielefeld before taking up a position as project manager for a conservation organisation in Botswana. She is now co-ordinating conservation projects in the European Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.
Dr Grace Loxley (2015-2019)
PhD joint with the Centre for Proteome Research, studying the role of major urinary proteins in mammalian communication. Grace is a STEM ambassador and is now employed as a Proteomics Mass Spectrometry Scientist at Syngenta.
Katherine Finch (2017 - 2018)
MRes project on female reproductive suppression in house mice. Kat took up a research position at ZSL and then moved to Chester Zoo, where she is employed as a Conservation Scientist in Behaviour and Welfare.
Dr Nicola Davidson (2013 - 2018)
BBSRC-funded MRes and PhD on improving the environmental and welfare impact of rodent control. Nicola moved to a lectureship at the College of Animal Welfare in Edinburgh and is now working as an Educational and Learning Officer for an environmental charity.
Dr Kieran Pounder (2015 - 2018)
BBSRC-funded Research Associate on our ScentM&RC project to use scents to improve rodent control. Kieran moved to a position as Research Support Officer at the University of Liverpool.
Dr Sarah Roberts (2003 - 2018)
BBSRC- and NERC-funded Research Associate on several projects on scent communication following her PhD, most recently on our ScentM&RC project to use scents to improve rodent control. Sarah moved to a position as a Knowledge Exchange Manager at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Dr Guadalupe Gomez-Baena (2012 - 2017)
BBSRC-funded Research Associate on our ScentM&RC project to use scents to improve rodent control. Lupe moved to a lectureship at the University of Cordoba but continues to work with us.
Dr Andrew Holmes (2016 - 2017)
BBSRC-funded Research Associate on our ScentM&RC project to use scents to improve rodent control. Andrew moved to a position as Research Coordinator for Global Challenges at the University of Liverpool.
Josiah Halstead (2012 - 2017)
BBSRC-funded Research Assistant on our ScentM&RC project to use scents to improve rodent control. Josiah has taken up a position as a Senior Data Scientist at EPAM Systems.
Dale Page (2016 - 2017)
MRes project on how early life experience affects social behaviour of wild house mice.
William Haigh (2016 - 2017)
MBiolSci including a project on the use of REIMS (rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry) as a new method for rodent monitoring.
Rebecca Titchard (2016 - 2017)
MRes project on scent communication in the eastern black rhinoceros. Becky took up a position of Zoo Ranger at the University of Bristol and is currently a Learning Officer at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
Dr Liane Hobson (2012 - 2016)
NERC-funded PhD on dispersal and reproductive competition in mammals. Liane moved to a research position at MRC Harwell where she won an NC3Rs training fellowship in 2019.
Neus Tantinya Pujol (2015 - 2016)
MRes project on how the early rearing environment affects competitive behaviour in house mice. Neus moved back to Portugal and took up a research position.
Alexandra Jebb (2015 - 2016)
MRes project on urinary proteins in bank voles. Alex took up a PhD on yellow-bellied marmots at the University of Aberdeen.
Rachel Spencer (2009 - 2016)
Research Technician and valued member of our animal care team. Rachel left to set up her own business, ‘Ginger&Browns’ with Joshua Beeston in Blakemere Village.
Joshua Beeston (2012 - 2015)
Research Technician and valued member of our animal care team. On leaving us, Joshua set up his own business, ‘Ginger&Browns’ in Blakemere Village.
Alice Maher (2014 - 2015)
MRes in Advanced Biological Sciences with a project on advertisement through scent marks in the short-tailed field vole Microtus agrestis. Alice went on a PhD in biomechanics at the University of Liverpool, followed by a lectureship position.
Dr Graeme Shannon (2014 - 2015)
NERC Research Associate investigating interspecific information transfer as a driver of community structure. Graeme moved to a lectureship in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bangor.
Dr Ben Payne (2012 - 2015)
University of Liverpool funded PhD modelling effects of climate change on African antelope populations. Ben moved to a post-doctoral position at the Scottish Association for Marine Science and is now employed as a Senior Advisor to Natural England.
Dr Maria Almbro (2013 - 2015)
BBSRC Research Associate investigating the avoidance of predator odours on our ScentMaRC project. Maria now works as a Research Data Analyst at Stockholm University.
Ben Whittaker (2013 - 2015)
Ben helped us to repair the enormous damage to our external rodent enclosures caused by ‘the wrong type of snow’ in March 2013. After ensuring that our enclosures were fully secure again, Ben took up a research technician post at the University of Edinburgh.
Dr Dominic Edward (2012 - 2014)
NERC Research Associate investigating adaptive variation in mammalian ejaculates under sperm competition.
Dr Amy Claydon (2011-2013)
NERC Research Associate investigating adaptive variation in mammalian ejaculates under sperm competition. Amy took a position of Senior Application Development Scientist in Thermo Fisher Scientific and now works for Genedata.
Dr Helen Bayram (2010 - 2014)
BBSRC funded CASE PhD with Genus plc on ‘Proteomic analysis of mammalian sperm competition’. Helen moved to a post-doctoral position at Uppsala University and is now a Project Manager at the University of Manchester.
Dr Kelly Gouveia (2010 - 2014)
NC3Rs funded PhD on methods to tame anxiety and variation in laboratory mice. Kelly took up a position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Animal Welfare at the University of Winchester. She was then appointed to a lectureship in Bioveterinary Science at the University of Chester in 2018.
Dr Emma Hoffman (2009 - 2014)
Integrative Mammalian Biology PhD on the role of male signals, female learning and adult neurogenesis in mouse sexual communication. Emma moved to a postdoctoral position in the Winder Lab at the University of Sheffield and is currently employed as a Senior Technical Specialist at Lonza.
Dr Jonathan Green (2012 - 2014)
NERC Research Associate investigating mechanisms of kin recognition in communally breeding house mice. Jonathan moved to a post-doctoral position in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield. He is now a Departmental Lecturer at the University of Oxford.
Dr Katie Edwards (2008 - 2013)
NERC funded PhD on captive breeding in black rhinoceros. She was awarded a George E. Burch Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, working in the Center for Species Survival, and is now a Lead Conservation Scientist in Biomarker Research and Development at Chester Zoo.
Dr Lisa Holmes (nee Bottell) (2008 - 2013)
BBSRC funded PhD on ‘Conflict in the communal nest: investigating female competition in house mice’. Lisa took up a post as a Scientific Assistant at Chester Zoo in 2013, where she is now a Lead Conservation Scientist in Behaviour and Welfare. She is maintaining connections with MBE through a number of joint projects.
Dr Andrew Holmes (2008 - 2012)
BBSRC-funded PhD on kin recognition mechanisms. Andrew took up a post-doctoral position at the University of Chester, working on an NC3Rs-funded project to improve the husbandry and welfare of laboratory Xenopus.
Dr Jen Platt-Skerry (2007 - 2011)
BBSRC funded PhD on urinary meprin and chemical signalling in mice (primarily based in Centre for Proteome Research). On finishing her studies, Jen embarked on a career in science teaching. She is currently teaching at Winstanley College, and is also, a regional STEM co-ordinator. She is maintaining her contacts with MBE through a series of activities with Winstanley College students.
Dr Michael Garratt (2006 -2010)
BBSRC funded PhD on oxidative stress and sexual selection in mammals. Mike moved to the University of New South Wales to a visiting postdoctoral fellowship. Following an appointment as Adjunct Assistant Professor in Genetics and Aging at the University of Michigan, Mike is now a Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago.
Dr Jeff Lemaitre (2006-2010)
Leverhulme Trust funded PhD on sperm competition and adaptive variation in mammalian ejaculates. Jeff moved to a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Lyon, and is now a senior researcher in evolutionary ecology at CNRS.
Dr Steven Ramm (2002-2009)
University of Liverpool funded PhD on sperm competition and sexual conflict in mammals, followed by Leverhulme Trust post-doctoral position on sperm competition and adaptive variation in mammalian ejaculates. Steve took up a short term HFSP fellowship at the University of Innsbruck in 2009, followed by a move to the University of Basel after winning a Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship. Steve now has a senior research position at the University of Rennes.
Dr Mike Thom (2004 – 2008)
BBSRC funded post-doctoral research associate investigating the role of major urinary proteins and the major histocompatibility complex in mate choice decisions of house mice. Mike moved to the University of York to take up a teaching fellow position, followed by a lectureship appointment at Plymouth University. Mike sadly passed away in 2021 and is greatly missed.
Fliss Thom (nee Fair) (2005 - 2009)
BBSRC-funded research technician providing support for several rodent behaviour projects. Fliss took up a post at the University of York and now has a technical position at the University of Plymouth.
Dr Malgorzata Behnke (2004 – 2008)
DEFRA VTRI studentship on the role of behaviour and contact networks on the transmission of infectious diseases in cattle. Maz moved to Harper Adams College where she is now Senior Lecturer in Animal and Veterinary Sciences.
Dr Amy Sherborne (2004 - 2007)
NERC funded PhD on causes and consequences of MHC variation (primarily based in Population Biology group). After a year travelling the world, Amy went on to a role as Senior Scientific Researcher at the Institute of Cancer Research.
Sarah Docherty (2005 – 2008)
University of Liverpool funded MPhil on scent mark communication and competitive behaviour in harvest mice. Sarah went on to graduate teacher training.
Dr Stuart Becker (2003 – 2007)
BBSRC funded studentship on semiochemical detection of infection status. Stuart took up an Experimental Officer research post in Integrative Mammalian Biology at the University of Manchester. Building on a career in veterinary surgery, Stuart is now undertaking further training in biostatistics and data science.
Dr Julia Lacey (2002 - 2006)
BBSRC funded PhD on the importance of experience and olfactory stimulation on the behaviour and welfare of inbred laboratory mice. Julia took up a lectureship at Myerscough College (University of Central Lancashire) in September 2006.
Dr Nic Malone (1998 - 2005)
University of Liverpool PhD on signalling of competitive ability by male house mice; BBSRC Research Associate on navigation scent cues used by house mice. Nic now works as a Research Specialist for the Environment Agency.
Dr Brian Preston (2001 - 2003)
NERC Research Associate examining sperm competition. Brian moved to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig to take up a post-doctoral position, followed by the University of Burgundy. Brian is now a Senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University.
Alex Sawyer (2002 - 2004)
Research technician working on detection of rodent scent marks through urinary proteins (SMART) and rodent scent communication and welfare (BBSRC). Alex took up an industrial opportunity in January 2005, and moved to Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in 2009.
Dr Dan Bray (2000 - 2004)
BBSRC funded PhD project on host parasite interactions in the common shrew. Dan took up a postdoctoral position at the University of Keele in January 2005. In 2014, Dan won a Marie Curie Fellowship to work at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and in 2016 moved to the University of Greenwich Natural Resources Institute where he is now an Associate Professor in Chemical Ecology.
Dr Rhian Lewis (1999 - 2003)
BBSRC funded PhD project on laboratory animal welfare. Rhian emigrated to New Zealand in Jan 2004.
Dr Caroline Payne (1997 - 2002)
BBSRC funded PhD on major urinary proteins and scent communication in house mice (MBE and Protein Function Group, 1997 - 2001); BBSRC Research Associate on scent communication in mice (2001 - 2002). Caroline moved to Harvard University to take up a postdoctoral fellowship in Sept 2002.
Dr Charlotte Nevison (1999 - 2002)
Worked on scent communication in house mice as a BBSRC Research Associate. Charlie took up a lectureship at Myerscough College (University of Central Lancashire) in August 2002; she moved to an academic post at Anglia Ruskin University in January 2004.
Dr Susanne Plesner Jensen (1999 - 2001)
NERC Research Associate (1999 - 2001) examining the effects of habitat structure on mouse behaviour; BBSRC Research Associate (2001) on scent communication. Susanne took up a research post in the Evolutionary Biology Group, University of Newcastle in 2003 and subsequently set up her own small business.
Dr Russell Hill (1999)
University of Liverpool funded research assistant studying costs of reproduction in the common shrew. Russell is now a Professor at the University of Durham.
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