Staff profile

My biography

Matthew completed his Bsc degree in Applied Freshwater and Marine Science in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. For his bachelors’ project he studied the role animal behaviour has on influencing the rate of parasitic infection in wildlife, focussing on the wild ungulate population in Phoenix park, Dublin. Matthew has worked on several ongoing research projects since 2018 focussing on animal behaviour, the role stress hormones play in influencing animal personality traits, and human-wildlife mitigation strategies. Matthew undertook a research masters in the Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, University College Dublin. For his Rmsc he used statistical models to study the effect of mating behaviour and body condition on parasitism in wildlife. Over the course of his Rmsc he had the opportunity to present a talk and a poster presentation on his research at the British Ecological Society conference in Belfast. Matthew was awarded a BBSRC DTP PhD studentship to study the anatomy of the visual system and behavioural responses to visual stimuli in larvae of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. The project highlights many of his interests, specifically using alternative methods to control disease spread.