Dr Cassandra Raby, FHEA

Currently a Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds (University Profile)

I am also collaborating with the University of Liverpool, working on the SAVSNET project.

Additionally, I am researching animal behaviour and health with the Tsaobis Baboon Project, and developing an understanding academic conferences in the wake of COVID-19.

Education

PhD Primate Parasite Ecology, University of Liverpool (and Institute of Zoology, ZSL)

My research focuses on the behavioural ecology of wild primates across multiple spatial scales, from continental-level to individual-level to explore how behaviour drives parasite transmission. Chapter titles:


MSc Wild Animal Biology, Pass with Merit, Royal Veterinary College


BSc (Hons) Zoology, Upper Second Class, University of Nottingham

Funding grants and awards

NERC Case award for PhD research, totalling £86,451 (with Dr Guy Cowlishaw and Prof Andy Fenton). I conceived the research project and wrote the application.

Erasmus+ Mobility, €500 for training in pedagogy and inclusive fieldwork practices at CERES International.

Daisy Balogh grant, £1000, from the Institute of Zoology.

British Society of Parasitologists, £200, Award for Best Poster

Employment history (research)

Postdoctoral Research Associate. SAVSNET vaccine preventable diseases. University of Liverpool.

Research Fellow. Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace. University of Leeds.

Laboratory Technician. Microbial paleoecology of peatlands. University of Leeds.

Research Technician. Gastrointestinal parasites of baboons. Institute of Zoology, ZSL. 

Research Technician. Polymer chromatography. Tepha Inc, Massachusetts, USA. 


Employment history (HE teaching)

Visiting Lecturer. University of Roehampton. MSc Primatology; MSc Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour; BSc Zoology

PBL facilitator. Royal Veterinary College. MSc Wild Animal Biology; MSc Wild Animal Health. 

Tutor. Royal Veterinary College. MSc Wild Animal Biology; MSc Wild Animal Health. 

Guest lecturer. Wiltshire College. BSc Animal Science and Management.


Publications

Publication and peer-review records

Publons ID: AAD-4095-2020

ORCID: 0000-0001-7065-0306




Research skills

Fieldwork: I have designed and led research at the Tsaobis Baboon Project, Namibia, where I studied two troops of habituated chacma baboons. From this I have practical experience of behavioural, GPS, and ecological data collection, plus the collection of biological samples. As project leader I managed a team of 8 people living within a remote location. Other fieldwork experience includes mist netting birds in the UK and Europe. I was able to attend a WUN summer school on Arctic environments based in Yukon, Canada, funded through the University of Leeds.

Laboratory experience: Through my research into baboon gastrointestinal parasites, and testate amoeba in peat, I have experience with microscopy and microbial species identification.

GIS and remote sensing: I am skilled at analysing GIS data in R, plus experienced in using QGIS and ArcMap. Using optical satellite image archives (e.g. Landsat; MODIS; NOAA) I have extracted environmental data such as NDVI, rainfall, and temperature to process in R and Google Earth Engine.

Statistics: Extensive experience working in R for statistical analysis of quantitative data, working with mixed models analyses and spatial statistics.


Training

2020: Pedagogy and inclusive fieldwork teaching practices. Erasmus+ course: Ceres International.

2018: Introduction to spatial statistics, BES Parasite and Pathogen workshop: Introduced to Google Earth Engine for remotely sensed data; introduced to R packages for spatial statistics.

2017: Introduction to QGIS: A two-day training course on QGIS. Institute of Zoology, ZSL.

2015: Project management, The future of disease ecology: BES SIG Early Career Event.

2014: First Aid training for expeditions in remote locations: Pass

2014: Tutor training The Brilliant Club: pedagogic and outreach training for widening participation.

Presentations

Invited talks

 

Oral

 

Poster

 

Presentation commendations


Academic citizenship

Invited outreach and communication

 

Science communication and outreach

 

Social committees


Memberships