Research OverviewI recently completed my PhD at Swansea University. My project aimed to describe and understand the movement and feeding ecology of yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) in the remote savannah landscape of the Issa region of Ugalla in Western Tanzania. I collected my field data from two troops over a 12 month period with the aim of measuring how these baboons interact with their environment and other sympatric primate species. Ultimately, I wanted to determine if these baboons are in direct competition for space and resources with other primates like chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinferthii) and red-tail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius), which are also studied by the Ugalla Primate Project (UPP) at the field site (see the UPP website). Though I am now based in Bristol, I maintain a link with Swansea University as a visiting researcher with SHAOL group whilst I publish some of the remainder chapters from my thesis.
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Education2011-2015: PhD
Department of Biosciences, Swansea University. Supervisors: Andrew King and Dan Forman. Field work conducted at the Ugalla Primate Project (UPP), Tanzania, in collaboration with Alex Piel and Fiona Stewart, University of Cambridge. 2008-2011: BSc (Hons) Zoology (1st class) Swansea University. Research project: “Daily Diaries: Can Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration be used as a Proxy for Speed?”. Supervised by Dan Forman. |
Publications
- Tapper, S., Johnson, C., Lenoel, A., Vining, A., Stewart, F.A., and Piel, A.K. Very preliminary data on forest guenons in a savanna woodland habitat in the Issa Valley, Ugalla, western Tanzania. (in press). In Primates in Flooded Habitats: Ecology and Conservation. Eds. A Barnett, I Matsuda, K Nowak. Cambridge University Press.
- Johnson, C., Piel, A., Forman, D. W., Stewart, F., King, A. J. The ecological determinants of baboon troop movements at local and continental scales. (2015) Movement Ecology 3:14
- Piel, A., Lenoel, A., Johnson, C., Stewart, F. Deterring poaching in western Tanzania: The presence of wildlife researchers. (2015) Global Ecology and Conservation, 3: 188-199. PDF here
Oral Presentations
- (2013) Primate Society of Great Britain spring meeting, University of Lincoln, U.K.
- (2013) Postgraduate seminar series, Swansea University, U.K.
- (2014) Three Minute Thesis (3MT), Swansea University, U.K. [To see talk - click here]
- (2014) Primate Society of Great Britain spring meeting, Oxford Brookes University, U.K.
- (2016) Primates on the move symposium, ATBC, Montpellier
Collaborators and Colleagues
Ugalla Primate Project
This is the project under whom's guidance I collected all the data for my PhD dissertation. I was fortunate enough to manage the project for the year I spent there, which was an unparalleled experience that has since opened many doors. This project is co-directed by Alex Piel and Fiona Stewart.
Shoal Group
The academic research group, based in Swansea University, that has adopted me from the start of my second year back from Tanzania. This group is run by Dr. Andy King who is also my PhD supervisor.
Swansea Lab for Animal Movement
My academic home and the beautiful lab in which I conduct my shenanigans lead by Prof. Rory Wilson.
Swansea Ecology Research Team
This is the base of my second supervisor Dr. Dan Forman and the place I conducted the first year of my writing up.
My list of brilliant colleagues is long but for snippets on what it would be like to study lobsters, I would be remiss if I didn't direct you to my fellow PhD student, Charlotte Davies. Check out her brilliant blog that covers a wide range of things from her research, to conferences and how to obtain funding.
This is the project under whom's guidance I collected all the data for my PhD dissertation. I was fortunate enough to manage the project for the year I spent there, which was an unparalleled experience that has since opened many doors. This project is co-directed by Alex Piel and Fiona Stewart.
Shoal Group
The academic research group, based in Swansea University, that has adopted me from the start of my second year back from Tanzania. This group is run by Dr. Andy King who is also my PhD supervisor.
Swansea Lab for Animal Movement
My academic home and the beautiful lab in which I conduct my shenanigans lead by Prof. Rory Wilson.
Swansea Ecology Research Team
This is the base of my second supervisor Dr. Dan Forman and the place I conducted the first year of my writing up.
My list of brilliant colleagues is long but for snippets on what it would be like to study lobsters, I would be remiss if I didn't direct you to my fellow PhD student, Charlotte Davies. Check out her brilliant blog that covers a wide range of things from her research, to conferences and how to obtain funding.