Postgraduate Research Assistant
Curriculum Vitae:
- 2009–present: Postgraduate Research Assistant, Indicators and Assessments Unit, Institute of Zoology.
- 2009: Research Intern, Living Planet Index, Institute of Zoology.
- 2007–2009: MSc Animal Behaviour, Manchester Metropolitan University.
- 1999–2002: BA Experimental Psychology, St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford.
Research Interests:
In my role as research assistant in the Indicators and Assessments Unit at the Institute of Zoology, I investigate global patterns of biodiversity over time through the application of the Living Planet Index (LPI). This index is an indicator of biodiversity, based on abundance trends of vertebrate species from around the world. Our database currently comprises over 19,500 population time series of more than 4,000 mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and fish species. While undeniably an excellent tool for communicating global trends to a wide audience, from scientists and policy makers to the general public, the LPI’s great strength lies in the potential for disaggregation of data on a regional or national level.
Since completing an internship on the project in 2009, I have contributed to global overviews of vertebrate abundance trends (Living Planet Report 2010, 2012 and 2014), analyses focusing on particular ecosystems and taxa (predicting mammal declines), and regional reports of vertebrate change (Arctic) and conservation successes (wildlife comeback). I am particularly interested in the challenge of disentangling underlying change from global trends, identifying the factors responsible, and applying this knowledge to future conservation.
Publications
Hardesty-Moore, M., Deinet, S., Freeman, R., Titcomb, G.C., Dillon, E.M., Stears, K., Klope, M., Bui, A., Orr, D., Young, H.S., Miller-ter Kuile, A., Hughey, L.F. & McCauley, D.J. (2018) Migration in the Anthropocene: how collective navigation, environmental system, and taxonomy shape the vulnerability of migratory species. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 373: 20170017. Link
McRae, L., Deinet, S. & Freeman, R. (2017) The Diversity-Weighted Living Planet Index: Controlling for Taxonomic Bias in a Global Biodiversity Indicator. PLoS ONE, 12(1): e0169156. Link
Deinet, S., Zöckler, C., Jacoby, D., Tresize, E., Marconi, V., McRae, L., Svoboda, M. & Barry, T. (2015). The Arctic Species Trend Index: Migratory Birds Index. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Akureyri, Iceland. Link
Milligan, H. Deinet, S. McRae, L. Freeman, R. (2014) Protecting Species: Status and Trends of the Earth’s Protected Areas. Preliminary Report. Zoological Society of London, UK. Link
McRae, L., Freeman, R. & Deinet, S (2014) The Living Planet Index. In: R. McLellan (ed) The Living Planet Report 2014. WWF International, Gland. Link
Durant, S., Pettorelli, N., Blackburn, T., Baillie, J., Boxshall, G., Brooks, S., Carbone, C., Coulson, T., Crees, J., Cunningham, A., Daniels, M., Deinet, S., Ewen, J., Gaston, K., Gregory, R., Hayward, M., MacDonald, D., Mace, G., May, R., Norris, K., Pimm, S., Raffaelli, D., Redpath, S., Sutherland, W. (2014) Non-native species: UK bill could prompt biodiversity loss. Nature, 512: 253. Link
Deinet, S., Ieronymidou, C., McRae, L., Burfield, I.J., Foppen, R.P., Collen, B. & Böhm, M. (2013) Wildlife comeback in Europe: The recovery of selected mammal and bird species. Final report to Rewilding Europe by ZSL, BirdLife International and the European Bird Census Council. ZSL: London, U.K. Link
Deinet, S., Böhm, M., McRae, L., Price, V., Duncan, C., Offord, S. & Collen, B. (2013) Wildlife comeback in Europe: An overview of changes in abundance and distribution of selected wildlife species in Europe for the period 1960-2010. Report submitted to the Rewilding Europe Initiative.
Collen, B., McRae, L., Loh J., Deinet, S., De Palma, A., Manley, R. & Baillie, J.E.M. (2013) Tracking changes in abundance: Living Planet Index. In: Collen, B., Pettorelli, N., Baillie, J.E.M. & Durant, S.M. (eds) Biodiversity Monitoring & Conservation: Bridging the gap between global commitment and local action. Wiley-Blackwell: Cambridge, U.K.
McRae, L., Böhm, M., Deinet, S., Gill, M. & Collen, B. (2012) The Arctic Species Trend Index: using vertebrate population trends to monitor the health of a rapidly changing ecosystem. Biodiversity, 13:144-156. Link
McRae, L., Collen, B., Hill, P., Deinet, S. & Loh, J. (2012) The Living Planet Index. In: R. Almond (ed) The Living Planet Report 2012. WWF International, Gland. Link
Eamer, J., Russell, D.E., McRae, L., Böhm, M., Deinet, S., Collen, B. & Gill, M.J. (2012) The Arctic Species Trend Index 2011: Key findings from an in-depth look at marine species and development of spatial analysis techniques. CAFF Assessment Series No.9. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Iceland. Link
McRae, L., Deinet, S., Gill, M. & Collen, B. (2012) Tracking trends in Arctic marine populations. CAFF Assessment Series No.8. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Iceland. Link
Böhm, M., McRae, L., Deinet, S., Gill, M. & Collen, B. (2012) Arctic Species Trend Index 2012 – Tracking trends in Arctic vertebrate populations through space and time. CAFF Assessment Series No.7. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Iceland. Link
Collen, B., McRae, L., Deinet, S., De Palma, A., Carranza, T., Cooper, N., Loh, J & Baillie, J.E.M. (2011) Predicting how populations decline to extinction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 366: 2577-2586. Link
Deinet, S., McRae, L., De Palma, A., Manley, R., Loh, J. & Collen , B. (2010) The Living Planet Index for Global Estuarine Systems -Technical Report. Submitted to WWF Netherlands.
Loh, J., Collen, B., McRae, L., Deinet, S., De Palma, A., Manley, R. & Baillie, J.E.M. (2010) The Living Planet Index. In: R. Almond (ed) The Living Planet Report 2010. WWF International, Gland. Link
