MR DANIEL HEPTINSTALL
DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ECOLOGY
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r01djh11@abdn.ac.uk
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Room 917
MacRobert Building
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
AB24 5UA
Tel: +44 (0)1224 274822
Mob: +44 (0)7965 588696
more user-friendly email address: d.heptinstall@abdn.ac.uk
DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ECOLOGY
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Personal Details
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Biography
I'm a birder and naturalist with a passion for conservation and a belief that conservation can only be truly effective if underpinned by the best available scientific evidence. I graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2011 with First Class Honours in BSc Ecology and I started my PhD in August of the same year.
For my PhD I research the ecology of reintroduced Red Kites (Milvus milvus) in the UK with a specific focus on the dispersal and settlement patterns of the expanding populations and the effect of communal roosting on individual behaviours and life histories. I'm also interested in the impact on poisoning on the population dynamics of reintrodcued populations.
If you're interested in learning more about what I'm doing feel free to contact me at any time.
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Research Interests
I have a very broad interest in the natural world and its conservation but my research interests focus on birds of prey and dispersal. I also have additional interests in conservation "conflicts" and the ways in which management strategies can be developed to avoid unnecessary confrontation.
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Current Research
I'm currently a PhD student within the dot.rural research hub. The aim of dot.rural is to investigate new ways in which digital technologies can be used in rural settings and my research is part of the Natural Resource Conservation theme. Specifically I'm part of the Digital Conservation (DC) project which investigates new ways in which digital technologies can be used to make conservation more effective. I contribute to the DC team by providing ecological insights about red kites which are then used to enrich automatically generated narratives that it is hoped will enthuse the public about nature conservation.
In addition to dot.rural I am also associated with another interdisciplinary grouping, ACES - the Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability.
PhD Research Aims
As I am still only at the start of my PhD my research areas are not completely defined; however, I aim to do research in the following areas:
> The causes and consequences of settlement patterns and dispersal in reintroduced red kite populations.
> A population genetics study on reintroduced UK red kites
> An analysis of the importance of communal roosting for red kite foraging behaviour and the life history consequences of communal roosting
> An evaluation of the impact of poisoning on reintroduced red kites in the UK
Additional Research Topics
As a staff member of the University of Aberdeen Law Department I co-authored an SNH commissioned report on the effect of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives on species reintroductions, specifically looking at the role of derogations.
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Collaborations
I have three supervisors within the University of Aberdeen; my main supervisor is Dr Rene Van Der Wal and I am also co-supervised by Prof Steve Redpath and Dr Advaith Siddharthan. Outside of the University of Aberdeen I am additionally co-supervised by Prof Jerry Wilson, the Director of Science for RSPB Scotland, although I am not an RSPB PhD student and I do not receive any funds from the RSPB.
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Research Grants
My PhD is solely funded by the University of Aberdeen's College of Life Science and Medicine and the funding has been made available as a result of the RCUK Digital economy initiative.
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Teaching Responsibilities
I currently demonstrate/tutor on the following undergraduate courses:
BI2008 Diversity of Life
BI2505 Conservation Biology
BI4505 Conservation in Practice
BI4802 Topics in Biological Conservation
Additionally I guest lecture on the following course:
ZO4527 Wildlife Conservation and Management
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External Responsibilities
I am currently an elected Board Member of the conservation NGO "Batumi Raptor Count" (BRC) which aims to monitor and conserve the incredible raptor migration that occurs over the Black Sea city of Batumi in the Republic of Georgia. Over 850,000 raptors migrate here every autumn with over 60,000 birds being sighted on some days. To find out more about BRC's work in this area, how to participate in our counts or how to visit the migration as an eco-tourist please feel free to contact me or visit our website
http://www.batumiraptorcount.org
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Publications
Pillai A, Heptinstall D J, Hammond M, Redpath S, Saluja P G (2012) Derogations for Protected Species in European Reintroductions, Scottish Natural Hertiage Commissioned Report
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