Helen Chadwick, postgraduate researcher, CDT SuMMeR: Cohort 2

I have a BSc in Conservation Biology & Ecology from University of Exeter. After graduating in 2018 I worked as Project Coordinator for Exeter Marine Research Network which afforded me insight into the world of research, as well as develop my project management skills. I have also undertaken a number of extensive conservation volunteering and field assistant roles over the last ten years working with a variety of stakeholders.

I am primarily interested in marine mammal ecology and conservation. For the last 4 years and alongside my degree, I have worked with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network and the Cornwall Marine Pathology Team to record and analyse marine strandings in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, as well as assist with necropsies of stranded marine mammals. My undergraduate thesis conducted a spatiotemporal analysis on 21 years of grey seal strandings data and has since been written up into my first published manuscript.

The southwest of England and Wales, particularly Cornwall, is a hotspot for bycatch-related mortality (accidental entanglement in active fishing gear). Limited information on the main drivers of bycatch in the area make it crucial to gather data on the spatial and temporal overlap between species distributions and fisheries, as well as the types of gear used. This information is essential for informing policies aimed at managing the threat.

This project aims to develop methods to understand which fisheries may pose the greatest risk to marine mammals, and where identified, devise targeted efforts to reduce the threat and enable the sustainable management of marine resources.

This work will involve several disciplines, including marine mammal conservation and ecology, veterinary pathology, oceanography, social science, and policy analysis. From the beginning the project will engage with fishers and relevant bodies, and will feedback and discuss findings with them at several points along the project, with communication forming an important component.

The CDT SuMMeR offers a unique opportunity to develop as a transdisciplinary researcher that I have not seen in any other PhD programme. I believe that you can only find workable solutions to big problems with a transdisciplinary approach. By integrating different disciplines as a whole to look at the problem holistically, you are much better placed to think about solutions. The applied nature of the CDT SuMMeR programme particularly motivated me to submit an application, working with both academic and non-academic stakeholders to find solutions to real-world problems. I was keen to be a part of the next generation of researchers that have the skills and understanding of cross-disciplinary research methods to tackle big global issues. I’m really excited to see where this PhD training will take me.