I am an early-career ecologist, dedicated to the study of movement ecology. After my MSc in Conservation Biology, during which I studied the effects of grazing on the birds of the Montado, I quickly realised I was fascinated by the study of movement, as well as by the technological tools that allow researchers to remotely sneak peek into the lives of animals. For the past 10 years, I have worked with several different species (from bats to houbaras), combining fieldwork with the use of novel tracking technologies to understand animal ecology.
Between 2014 and 2017, I worked on the development of GPS/GSM loggers, which allowed me to increase my understanding of how this technology works and how to put it into good use in the study of bird movement. In 2018, I decided to put the theory into practice and started a PhD at the University of East Anglia, studying the determinants of movement of long-lived species. During my PhD, I studied the influence of weather conditions and individual experience on the migratory decisions of White Storks. Furthermore, a grant from the Newton Fund, allowed me to spend some time in the FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology (University of Cape Town), and enrich my thesis with the first study of the movement ecology of Shoebills.
Currently, I am a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Tel Aviv University, and I am studying the movement ecology of yet another long-lived species, the Griffon Vulture. In Israel this species in imminent danger of extinction, and with this project, our objective is to increase our understanding of the breeding, movement and social traits of this species, aiming to help its conservation.