Alice Clark
Conservation Scholar
- Qualifications MSci degree in Zoology from the University of Glasgow
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Focus area
Populations
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Location
At the Zoo
- Additional Information
One-year internship at Chester Zoo.
Contracted researcher in the endocrinology lab at Chester Zoo from 2018-2019.
My main research interests are population ecology, animal behaviour and breeding management. My research in the past has predominantly involved monitoring animal behaviour and physiology in order to inform management practices to maintain stable populations. During my intercalated master’s program, I studied bird population demographics and habitat preference behaviours in the UK and South America and undertook a one-year internship in the endocrinology lab at Chester Zoo. At the zoo I worked on developing a non-invasive pregnancy diagnosis tool for equid species in captivity. Since graduating, I have worked again in the endocrinology lab as a contracted researcher to improve the tools used to monitor the reproductive health of mammals bred in captivity.
For my PhD I am researching social suppression of reproduction among female mammals and the implications that this may have for captive breeding programs. Social suppression is a phenomenon where through targeted social behaviours, some individuals are able to supress the reproduction of others in their social group. By doing this, they can gain social advantages and higher reproductive success. This is particularly common among female mammals and is seen in many captive species. This PhD will combine my experience in animal physiology and behavioural research to aid the breeding of a wide range of species in captivity. I am delighted to be working in such an important area of research and with the help of the MBE group at the University of Liverpool and the scientists at Chester Zoo, I hope my work will be impactful and applicable to animal collections internationally. In the future I am looking to move into a research role working with a wide network of European zoos.