Dr Helen Taylor

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Helen has a strong background in field-based conservation research, focusing on translocations and genetics. The majority of Helen’s work to date has been in New Zealand, where she lived and worked for eight years before returning to the UK to join RZSS. She has also worked in the Peruvian Amazon. In New Zealand, Helen spent a lot of time on offshore islands studying protected bird species such as kiwi, South Island robin, and hihi. Her research interests included inbreeding, fertility, reproductive success, and translocation management of these species. Much of her time was spent solving issues around how to collect robust data from difficult species in remote locations. Helen is also a keen science communicator, and has conducted work to bridge the communication gap between conservation researchers and practitioners, and on making conservation research more accessible to the general public. Currently, Helen’s role at RZSS includes managing the beaver project at Knapdale Forest, as well as working on pine hoverfly and pond mud snail translocations.

BACKGROUND

PhD (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) Conservation Genetics and Ecology
MSc (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK) Conservation and Zoo Studies
BA (Cambridge University, UK) Natural Sciences

OTHER POSITIONS

• Research Fellow – University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand on inbreeding and male fertility in threatened birds

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Papers

For a full list of Helen’s scientific publications, please visit her Google Scholar page here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nNYMtXsAAAAJ&hl=en