Role
Lauren Moore is a lecturer and PhD candidate in Conservation and Ecology at Nottingham Trent University's School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. Her PhD research focuses on the impact of roads on the survival and movements of animals around the world.
Lauren’s research responsibilities extend to science communication with a wide range of audiences. To date, this has included writing popular science articles for platforms such as The Conversation, running workshops with the Natural History Museum, being involved in wildlife documentaries such as Nature’s Big Year (Canadian Broadcast Company) and contributing to the book Ghosts in the Hedgerow.
Lauren teaches at both Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) levels, ranging from Level 3 Diplomas to Masters degrees. She has led on modules such as Managing Coastal Habitats (FE), Freshwater and Wetland Management (FE) and Global Environmental Sciences (HE). On top of this, she also teaches on modules such as Species Recovery Skills, Behavioural Ecology, and Wildlife Field Techniques & GIS, including on a field trip to Spain's Somiedo Natural Park. Lauren also assists on undergraduate dissertations in wildlife conservation.
Career overview
Before joining Nottingham Trent University to conduct her PhD, Lauren undertook a BSc (Hons) in Wildlife Conservation with Zoo Biology at the University of Salford and an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford.
Following her Master’s degree, Lauren worked as a Development Officer for the RSPB and as an Ecologist for MKA Ecology. In addition, Lauren has worked as a Data Management volunteer for the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) and as a seasonal ranger for the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Lauren has also worked in ex-situ conservation for 11 years as an ambassador and volunteer for the Cat Survival Trust in Hertfordshire.
She has won several awards for her conservation work, including Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots environmental award and the Oxford University Press Bioscience Award.
Research areas
Lauren’s expertise is in wildlife conservation and ecology, having conducted research in a range of habitats and countries such as Brazil, Madagascar, and Poland. Her Ph.D. spans the fields of road ecology, sustainable development and wildlife conservation, exploring the impacts of roads on wildlife at the global and then UK scale, involving a case study on local hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) populations across a rural-suburban spectrum.
Lauren’s research is often applied and interdisciplinary in nature, involving a range of stakeholders and partners. Her work spans a range of taxa, although with particular interest in mammals.
Previous research:
- Sensitivities of Madagascar forest birds to habitat change
- Co-existence and niche overlap of rats (Rattus spp.) and mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp) in the dry forests of Madagascar
- Modelling the spread of the invasive American mink (Neovison vison) in Europe under climate change scenarios
- The phylogeography and colonisation history of the greater white-toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula), using museum specimens
- Behavioural ecology of wild Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides) at Carlos Botelho State Park, Brazil.
External activity
Lauren has been involved in workshops with the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) to develop the national conservation strategy for hedgehogs and has written a report on the Favourable Conservation Status of hedgehogs for Natural England.
Sponsors and collaborators
- People’s Trust for Endangered Species
- University of Cambridge
- Cardiff University
- University of Reading
- ACO
- Animex International
Publications
Moore, L. J., Petrovan, S. O., Bates, A. J., Hicks, H. L., Baker, P. J., Perkins, S. E., & Yarnell, R. W. (2023). Demographic effects of road mortality on mammalian populations: a systematic review. Biological Reviews. doi: 10.1111/brv.12942.
Moore, L. J., Arietta, A. Z. A., Spencer, D. T., Huijser, M. P., Walder, B. L., & Abra, F. D. (2021). On the road without a map: Why we need an “ethic of road ecology.” Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 774286. https://doi.org/10.3389/FEVO.2021.774286
Moore, L. J., Petrovan, S. O., Baker, P. J., Bates, A. J., Hicks, H. L., Perkins, S. E., & Yarnell, R. W. (2020). Impacts and potential mitigation of road mortality for hedgehogs in Europe. Animals, 10(9), 1523. doi: 10.3390/ani10091523.
Shum, P., Moore, L., Pampoulie, C., Di Muri, C., Vandamme, S., & Mariani, S. (2017). Harnessing mtDNA variation to resolve ambiguity in 'Redfish' sold in Europe. Peer J, 5(1), 1-18. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3746
Press expertise
Lauren is an expert in the broad area of wildlife conservation and ecology, particularly centred on the impact of human activity and development on wildlife, as well as the actions the public can take to protect wildlife on a local scale.
She has previously been involved in a range of written and verbal press communications including interviews on TV, wildlife documentaries, and radio; as well as written communications for The Conversation and involvement in drafting press releases for two of her publications.