What does your PhD focus on?

It’s a global analysis of our progress towards conservation area targets and the effectiveness of different types of conservation areas around the world.  The latest conservation area target that was  set last December aims to conserve 30% of the world’s terrestrial and marine areas by 2030. Tracking the progress towards such targets is important to make sure that when new targets are set, they are based on scientific measures of progress. There are currently global databases that track this progress, however, they have some limitations – mainly because it is a mammoth task to collect data from the whole world. So my project aims at developing and refining a sampled approach that will help get a snapshot of the conservation area coverage around the world.

Has your background and identity influenced your approach to research and your scientific journey?

Yes, to some extent. I think being from Sri Lanka, a country so rich in biodiversity and natural landscapes, I have always felt a close connection with the environment and have had the passion to help preserve it.

At the same time, being an international student in the UK has made me take a unique approach to pursuing a Ph.D. I don’t think most people realise that international students have limited flexibility around their PhD journeys compared to local students. This often means that you have to think more carefully about planning out your research and sticking to timelines etc.”

 What career aspirations do you currently have?

When thinking of the long term, like maybe 10 years from now, I see myself teaching in some capacity, possibly back in Sri Lanka. When I first started my undergraduate degree, Environmental Sciences was such a new field in the country, and there were very few people who could really inspire students to follow it as a career. So I would love to go back and inspire a new generation of environmental scientists My ideal kind of job would be where I get to be involved in research related to conservationwhile still being very much entrenched in the academic world.