Meet the BATMAN Team

Dr Christina Stanley is a behavioural ecologist whose research explores the drivers and outcomes of animal sociality. Chrissy has worked with a range of species, including leading two recent projects focusing on the social behaviour and welfare of captive bats. As the Principal Investigator for this project, she is leading the BATMAN team and is responsible for the behavioural research aims of this project.

Prof Tessa Smith is an experienced behavioural endocrinologist who pairs observational and hormonal data to answer pure and applied research questions. In this project, Tessa will lead on developing and validating assays to quantify stress hormones in lesser horseshoe bats.

Prof Yu Shi is Chair of smart composite materials and textile innovation at University of Leeds. He will contribute his knowledge of printed electronics for sensing, energy harvesting and antenna for communication to this project for design, fabrication and testing of wearables for wild bats.

Dr Robert Coleman is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chester, with expertise in analytical techniques and method development and their application across a wide range of biological sciences. He will contribute to the project by supporting the development of new tests and techniques to measure cortisol produced by the lesser horseshoe bats being studied.

Lucy Morison is a PhD student in behavioural endocrinology at the University of Chester. She will develop novel methods to collect, extract and quantify hormone levels from the faeces and hair of the lesser horseshoe bat, subsequently analysing these in the context of behaviour and anthropogenic pressures at roosts.

Dr. Mostafa Awaid is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leeds. He will leverage his expertise in electronics, material sciences, and wearable sensors in the development and testing of wearable real-time monitoring platform specifically designed for wild bats as part of this project.

Dr. Camilla Soravia is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chester. She is particularly interested in understanding how wild animals adapt to environmental changes and human pressures and how we can apply this knowledge to inform management and conservation decisions. She will assess the potential impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the behaviour and acoustic communication of lesser horseshoe bats at maternity roosts across North Wales.