I am a Senior Strategy Officer at the Peak District National Park and Freelance Bat Ecologist

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Hi I’m Sarah, I find bats fascinating, they are amazing animals and I’m trying to do my bit to help with their conservation.

I left my career in Marketing & Business Development in 2016 after recovering from Breast Cancer. I decided to follow my heart and went back to university to study Animal Behaviour. I graduated with a 1st Class Hons Degree in July 2019. I have tried to grasp every opportunity to develop my scientific skills, both academically and in the field. I love nothing more than being out in nature surveying bats at night!

I joined the Peak District National Park Authority in January 2023 after moving to live in Derbyshire in August 2022. I am now a Senior Strategy Officer for the National Park and my role includes coordination of the partnership approach to our National Park Management Plan and conducting research including understanding visitor trends.

I am also a seasonal bat ecologist and researcher interested in all aspects of bat ecology. I work freelance doing bat emergence/re-entry surveys during the bat survey season with full IR camera and acoustic set up. I hold a Level 1 & 2 Bat License.

Specialist Areas

Field Experience & Volunteer Positions

Bat Scientist – Operation Wallacea, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
(July 2019)
Carry out mist netting surveys (6 out of 7 days for 1 month) to assess bat diversity and abundance at three research camps in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico.

Undergraduate Research – Timburi Cocha Research Station, Payamino, Ecuador
(June 2018 – Aug 2018)
Collecting bat echolocation data via acoustic detectors across plots of locally defined forest in the buffer zone of the Sumaco Napo Galeras Nationa Park.

Vivarium Volunteer – The Manchester Museum (The University of Manchester)
(Feb 2017 – Feb 2018)
Experience cleaning the rare and endangered amphibian collection task and enclosures, following a specific set of instructions and attention to detail in terms of cleanliness of the tank and dealing with live specimens to maintain highest level of animal care. 

Wildlife Assistant Volunteer – RSPCA, Stapeley Grange, Nantwich
(May 2017 – July 2017)
Experience cleaning, feeding and caring for a host of British wildlife which had been brought into the RSPCA Hospital for treatment; including Bats, Badgers, Foxes, Otters, Swans, Hedgehogs, Corvids, Weasels, Rabbits, Ducks, Geese.