Zoologist
Get in touch
Autobiography
In 2016 I graduated from the University of Glasgow with a First Class BSc with Honours in Zoology. During my final years I gained part time experience performing bat surveys for a ecological consultancy, volunteered as a research assistant on a project investigation human disturbance on animal ecology and performed my honours project on the same topic. These experiences and the research I conducted on growing anthropogenic and wildlife interactions drove me to pursue a career working in a field related to this topic. Since graduating I have become employed full time as an ecological consultant and developed my skills working on a variety of projects. My job has facilitated me in obtaining various qualifications and certificates, in addition to the activities I have pursued in my personal life (See Qualifications/Certifications below).
Personal
DoB: 16th March 1992
ian@the-zoologist.co.uk
+44 75 1219 6454
Referees
David Dodds
David Dodds Associates Ltd.
Ecological Consultancy
david@daviddoddsassociates.com
+44 131 608 0012
Dr. Ross MacLeod
University of Glasgow
Graham Kerr Building
ross.macleod@glasgow.ac.uk
+44 141 330 5340
Mark Bates
Heritage Environmental Ltd.
The Manse, 24 High Street
mark.bates@heritage-environmental.co.uk
+44 176 466 0067
Interests
Outside of my career I have variety of interests that keep me outdoors and active. Many of these include traveling and exploring in order to see nature from different perspectives. I am an active rock climber, cyclist and I kayak/canoe as often as possible. These hobbies allow me to hone and develop my identification skills in a variety of habitats, helping me to maintain good general knowledge. And above all, they’re fun!
My enthusiasm and active lifestyle is perhaps best illustrated by the year I decided to travel, before I had chosen to study at university. At the age of 19, myself and a friend decided to cycle around France for 3 months working on organic farms as a part of a personal development and life experience trip. Both of us were amateur naturalists and decided this was an appropriate experience to bring together many of our interests. Together we organised a route and travelled >1000miles, working on 3 farms varying from horticulture to self-sustainability. After this trip, I decided to explore further and cycled through Belgium, Germany and Holland alone, continuing to work on 6 farms ranging from animal therapy to shepherding. This was perhaps the sole biggest experience for me to date, which helped direct myself towards further education with animals.
Qualifications/Certifications
- First Class BSc with Honors in Zoology
- Working towards a personal SNH Bat Licence (50%)
- National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC) Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue qualification
- BS5387 Tree surveying certification
- Foundation Safety and Rescue Training (FSRT) in canoe/kayak
- Full UK Drivers Licence
- CSCS Card
- Asbestos Awareness Certificate
Skills
- Developed early scientific essay, report synthesis and presentation skills, later refining critical analysis skills, required to form objective opinions for discussing and creating primary literature
- Built on essential laboratory techniques in laboratory focused courses at university
- Practical skills and methods for data collection in the field
- Experience in collecting field data at remote locations in harsh environmental conditions
- Familiar with specific forms of data collection such as Visual Encounter Surveys (VES), nesting bird surveys and UK bat surveys
- Experience in organising data and inputting data to a large database used by multiple individuals
- Full Key Skills ICT Level 2
- Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, OpenOffice and ‘R’
- Evolved statistical skills to carry out analysis and create graphics in ‘R’, including linear modelling and data manipulation and combination
- Practical animal handling experience for birds and amphibians
Achievements
- Acted as a committee member of both the University of Glasgow Zoological Society and the Exploration Society in my final year
- Sustained part time work throughout the majority of student life
- Independently cycled around Europe
Work & Research Experience
Bat Surveyor/Ecologist (paid – Full time)
06/06/2015 – 30/09/2017
Heritage Environmental Ltd.
Fulfilled my 3rd bat season as a full time surveyor and general ecologist with Heritage Environmental Limited working all over Scotland. I have worked on a variety projects performing initial, roost and general activity surveys for bats, including call analysis with AnalookW. I was weekly assigned to amphibian translocation within Glasgow, involving identifying and handling delicate and protected species. I also gained experience installing badger gates and inspecting sites for signs of mammal activity. Further work in this position involved data analysis, collation and organisation.
Research Assistant (paid –part time)
27/03/2017 – 30/09/2017
University of Glasgow, Dr. Ross MacLeod
Collect population and colony data on house sparrows in and around Glasgow city, as a part of RSPB collaborative project. In addition I collate data and aid honours students involved in the project. This position also involves me in associated publications and a possible review paper.
Bat Surveying Assistant (paid – part time)
01/04/2015 – Present
David Dodds Associates Ltd. Ecological Consultancy
Work as a part of a team to collect data regarding roost types and species of bats at sites intended for development or demolition. Trained to identify species and habitats, recognising species primarily by echolocation calls.
Tropical Rainforest Ecology Field Project
17/08/2015 – 09/09/2015
University of Glasgow, supervisor Dr. Ash Le Vin
Co-designed and carried out an amphibian diversity project in a small group at an isolated research station in the Amazon rainforest. Data collection involved nocturnal Visual Encounter Surveys (VES) and physical capture and manipulation of sensitive amphibian species to obtain body measurements and species identification. Richness and diversity indices were calculated to quantify the differences between grades of rainforest.
Voluntary Field Research Assistant
07/05/2015 – 30/06/2015
University of Glasgow, Dr. Ross MacLeod
Fulfilled a voluntary research assistant position in conjunction with my own honours project. Work included quantifying nest box use on a research site, in addition to monitoring numbers of eggs and hatchlings that survived and successfully fledged. Additionally, monitoring the function of equipment and other data collection and processing. Further on site work involved minor repairs of equipment and organising volunteers.
Honours project
07/05/2015 – 25/01/2016
University of Glasgow, supervisor Dr. Ross MacLeod
Do human and predator disturbance affect individual behaviour and breeding success in the European blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) Designed and ran a research project focused on investigating the influence of human disturbance within a passerine breeding population. Another student and myself collected the majority of data and orchestrated volunteers for additional help. Data was collated into a multi-user database used for various PhD, undergraduate and masters projects. During this extensive project multiple factors were measured to obtain varying data that could be analysed using novel approaches to quantify the impact of disturbance.
Voluntary Zookeeper
10/01/2009 – 15/01/2010
Bristol Zoo Gardens
Worked as a zookeeper performing animal husbandry, providing and developing enrichment and food preparation for various exotic species.
Practical Conservation Volunteer
01/02/2008 – 05/02/2009
Avon Wildlife Trust
Hands on protection of rare species through habitat maintenance of ancient woodland and wildflower meadows.