Dr Christopher Durrant

Curriculum Vitae:

• 2013-Present: Senior Research Technician and BSO IoZ.
• 2011-2013: Research Technician IoZ.
• 2009-2010: Research Technician IoZ.
• 2005-2009: NERC PhD studentship King’s College London.
• 2003-2005: NERC Mphil Studentship University of Sussex, Falmer.
• 1999-2002: BSc (Hons). Zoology, University of Wales, Bangor.
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Research Interests:

My research interests are broadly based on the affects that anthropogenic factors have on speciation with a strong leaning towards population genetics and gene expression.

My Mphil project at the University of Sussex with Prof. Trevor Beebee and Dr David Hill, looked at the effects of deforestation on the population genetics of the rare Bechstein’s bat across the southern United Kingdom ( Durrant et al 2009 ). This was quickly followed by my PhD with Prof. Christer Hogstrand and Dr Nic Bury of King’s College London. This looked at the effects of metal contamination, namely copper and zinc, on population structure and fecundity of fish. The research took the form of a population genetics study on brown trout in the River Hayle southwest England ( Durrant et al 2011 ) investigating how metal pollution affects population dynamics; and lab-based copper exposure experiments on zebrafish looking at sodium uptake, reproduction, mortality and egg hatch rates.

In 2009 I worked in the Genetic Variation, Fitness & Adaptability (GFA) theme with Dr Kate Ciborowski and the late Dr Bill Jordan of IoZ looking at changes in the expression of olfactory receptors in Atlantic salmon during development via the use of qPCR assays.

In 2011 I started working in the Wildlife Epidemiology theme under Prof. Andrew Cunningham on a number of projects including the Big Swab chytrid survey with Freya Smith, the Garden Bird Health initiative (GBHi) with Dr Becki Lawson , and investigations into zoonotic diseases of bats with Dr Kate Baker .

Other research at IoZ has included a project looking at the use of population genetics in UK adder conservation with Faye Willman of the University of Kent and Dr Trent Garner from IoZ’s Evolution & Molecular Ecology (EME) theme. I am currently providing technical support to a molecular study of Mauritius pink pigeons carried out by Faye Willman and Dr Jim Groombridge from the University of Kent, I am also working on a population genetics project with Dr Garner and Guila Tessa from the University of Turin investigating the population dynamics of the Sardinian brook newt (Euproctus platycephalus).

As of January 2013 I have been appointed senior technician and biosafety officer here at the Institute of Zoology.
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Publications:

Durrant, C.J. Stevens, J.R. Hogstrand, C.Bury, N.R. (2011) The effect of metal on the population genetic structure of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) residing in the River Hayle, Cornwall, UK. Environmental Pollution 159(12): 3595-603.

Durrant, C.J. Beebee, T.J.C. Greenaway, F. & Hill, D.A. (2009) Evidence of recent population bottlenecks and inbreeding in British populations of Bechstein's bat, Myotis bechsteinii. Conservation Genetics 10(2): 489-496.

Cooper, C.A. Shayeghi, M. Techau, M.E. Capdevila, D.M., MacKenzie, S., Durrant, C. Bury, N.R. (2007) Analysis of the rainbow trout solute carrier 11 family reveals iron import < or = pH 7.4 and a functional isoform lacking transmembrane domains 11 and 12. FEBS Letters 581: 2599-2604.

Lawson, B. Lachish, S. Colville, K.M. Durrant, C. Peck, K.M. Toms, M.P. Sheldon, B.C. Cunningham, A.A. (2012) Emergence of a novel avian pox disease in British tit species. Plos One 7(11): e40176. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040176