PhD Researcher
Simon McDonagh
Simon's PhD research examines the spread of non-native conifer trees across the peatlands of the Flow Country, a prescient issue for peatland restoration, renewable energy projects, and farming across the Far North of Scotland. Using landscape ecology, remote sensing, and field experiments, he aims to study how these trees affect the underlying hydrology, plant communities, and bird populations of the peatlands in which they spread.
His PhD is funded by NERC through the ECOWILD Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) programme.
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2026 - Present: PhD Researcher - Blurring the edges: assessing impacts from the spread of non-native conifers on birds, plants and hydrology in Scottish open blanket bog mosaics.
2026: Research Intern - Patagonia Centre for Ecosystem Research (CIEP), Chile
2026: Student Research Assistant - Jan Ingenhousz Institute (JII), Netherlands
2025: Field Researcher, Regelink Ecologie & Landschap, Netherlands
2023 - 2026: MSc Forest and Nature Conservation (cum laude) - Wageningen University and Research (WUR), Netherlands
2021 - 2023: Volunteer Coordinator, Mexico Primate Rehabilitation Centre (CMRP), Mexico
2021: Sea Turtle Conservation Volunteer, Rancho Carisuva, Mexico
2019 - 2025: Communications and Creative Manager, Asylum Access, Mexico
2014 - 2018: International Student Support Coordinator, Ashinaga Foundation, Japan
2011 - 2014: MA (Oxon) Human Sciences - St Hugh's College, University of Oxford
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Prof Roxane Andersen (ERI, UHI), Dr David Douglas (RSPB), Dr Hannah Clilverd (UKCEH), and Prof Colin Beale (York)
