Danielle Crowley, postgraduate researcher, CDT SuMMeR: Cohort 3

I hold a BSc in Zoology from University College Dublin and an MSc in Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation from the University of Exeter. Between my degrees I’ve worked on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecology projects (including taking part in five offshore research cruises) and in science education and outreach. Before starting my PhD I was the Education and Events Officer for the Linnean Society of London, the world’s oldest natural history society.

I’m particularly interested in bridging the gap between science and the humanities in order to solve conservation challenges. My BSc thesis focused on the genetics of Irish Sea skate populations while my MSc work analysed the cultural and political perceptions of sharks in the UK and Ireland. I believe we can learn a huge amount by combining interdisciplinary methods, and there is a lot we still don’t know about elasmobranchs in the UK and Ireland. Plus, sharks are a great study species for socio-ecological work as people tend to have strong feelings about them!

Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are important to Welsh coastal communities due to their ecological roles as well as the economic benefits they provide through fisheries and tourism. However, despite these benefits, there is very little known about their behaviour and distribution as well as their cultural and social importance in Wales. In addition, as the coastal waters of Wales warms, elasmobranchs found here are likely to move, impacting the coastal communities that rely on them and the ecosystem services they provide. Plus, the Welsh waters are home to distinctive and extremely rare species, such as the angelshark, flapper skate, and tope, which are all Critically Endangered.

My project aims to assess the ecological and social importance of elasmobranchs to Welsh coastal communities and investigate how this will change under different climate change predictions, with the goal of co-developing sustainable management strategies with all stakeholders.

This project will utilise social science (interviews, surveys etc), ecology, and oceanography and climate research. I will also be working with Project SIARC, ZSL, and NRW in order to better work with local communities and to develop management strategies.

I applied to SuMMeR not only because this PhD proposal ticked all the boxes for me research wise, but because of the CDT’s commitment to transdisciplinary research and sustainability. I was also impressed by the focus on working both within and outside academia, as I feel working with a range of partners is the only way we can solve the problems facing us. Plus, their values regarding EDI are important to me.