Sampling British species to produce reference genomes and support conservation efforts with the Darwin Tree of Life.
Ava is a Wildlife Veterinarian and Research Associate at the Institute of Zoology working with the Darwin Tree of Life project. The Darwin Tree of Life project aims to sequence the genomes of 30,000 species of eukaryotic organisms in Britain and Ireland. It is a collaboration between biodiversity, genomics and analysis partners that is transforming the way we do biology, conservation and biotechnology.
In this role, Ava organises and collects blood and tissue samples from our beautiful native wildlife species by collaborating with the British Trust for Ornithology and their Ringing Scheme, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and wildlife hospitals across the UK. Ava spends a lot of time out in the field with bird ringers and wildlife experts.
Before qualifying as a veterinarian from the University of Nottingham, Ava completed a zoology degree at Queen Mary University of London, and has since been involved in several research projects including bumblebee behaviour and the effects of spot-on flea treatments on freshwater invertebrates. Ava also worked in practice as a small animal and exotic pet vet before coming into this fantastic role at ZSL.
Please get in touch with Ava about the Darwin tree of life project!