My research expertise is in three broad areas: the relationship between conservation and human rights, collaborative approaches to conservation research, and voluntary standards for tropical commodity production. I have a mixed disciplinary background, with a BSc in zoology and psychology from the University of Reading and a PhD in antelope ecology from the University of Stirling. My field research has been in tropical forest regions, mainly in Amazonian Peru and in Cote d’Ivoire in West Africa.
I am also passionate about advancing social science methods in conservation social science. Based on many years of teaching research methods to postgraduate classes that brought together students from conservation and anthropology, I published a textbook on conservation social science methods and approaches ("Conducting research in conservation: a social science perspective"). It remains the standard text in this field.
