Institute of Zoology

The Institute of Zoology (IoZ) is the research division of ZSL.

We are a world-leading research organisation, directly addressing global challenges in the field of conservation science. Our staff and students undertake research that powers sustainable, innovative solutions that work — for wildlife, people and the planet.

We are funded by Research England, the same body that supports universities, with additional funding for specific projects from the UK research councils and various other academic, corporate, governmental and charitable organisations. 

Our people

We are a community of internationally recognised researchers and students working in conservation science.

Find out more about our scientists

Research at IoZ focuses on five global conservation challenges

Biology and Recovery of Small Populations

We are developing a holistic understanding of small population recovery, including drivers of extinction risk, conservation management and the science to best support the implementation of solutions 

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Co-existence between People and Wildlife

We are developing tools that foster biodiversity and human wellbeing in order to attain sustainable development alongside improved nature conservation.

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Global biodiversity monitoring

We are developing tools to understand the impact of anthropogenic threats on ecosystem composition, structure and function, as well as on ecosystem stability and generating indicators to track biodiversity loss at the global scale 

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Mitigating and adapting to climate change

We improve understanding of species and ecosystem vulnerability to the climate crisis and identifying the best nature-based solutions for the benefit of wildlife and people. 

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Wildlife Health

Our research focuses on identifying, understanding and mitigating wildlife disease threats to biodiversity conservation and to human health and wellbeing. 

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2021 Research Assessment Framework

IoZ has an established record of excellence in research and impact, most recently evidenced by our performance in the Research Excellence Framework 2021. In a joint submission with University College London (UCL) and Birkbeck, University of London, to the Biological Sciences unit of assessment (UoA5), 88.5% of our research outputs were judged as ‘world leading’ or 'internationally excellent' and 90.9% of our impacts were judged as having ‘outstanding’ or ‘very considerable’ impact.  In addition, while we only contributed 10% of the staff in this submission, we contributed five of the 11 Impact Case Studies.  

Read our Impact Case Studies:

Teaching and training

IoZ offers a range of postgraduate teaching through PhD studentships and Masters-level courses. Each year we support around 70 PhD students, who are registered with partner universities and co-supervised by IoZ and university staff. 

Just some of the study opportunities we provide include: 

• PhD research and studentships
• Masters courses
• ECZM veterinary residencies 

Find out more about our postgraduate study opportunities

IoZ affiliations and partnerships 

We work works with our key academic partners, University College London and the Royal Veterinary College. Our partnership with UCL enables collaborative research projects, postgraduate research training, joint academic appointments and research support. 

Our partnership with RVC enables the joint delivery of MSc taught courses and projects, including the MSc Wild Animal Health and MSc Wild Animal, and joint delivery of three-year Residencies, in Wildlife Population Health and Zoo Health Management, under the auspices of the European College of Zoological Medicine. 

IoZ collaborates with 410 academic institutions in the UK and around the world, and we work with over 100 conservation organisations worldwide, with whom we translate our research into impact.  

Research ethics and integrity

Researchers at IoZ are expected to observe the highest standards of ethics and integrity in the conduct of their research and, as such, all staff at IoZ carefully adhere to the IoZ Code of Practice for Research, as well as the UKRI Code of Practice for Research and The Concordat for Research Integrity. 

Find out more about our research ethics and integrity policies

Equality, diversity and inclusion at IoZ

As a Higher Education Institution, we believe that a sense of belonging should exist for all staff and students, empowering them to freely share ideas and experience, as well as to foster innovative and creative solutions. 

We are therefore committed to supporting the development of a dynamic, flexible, equal, diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes, attracts and retains this diversity.

Our four-pillar framework outlines a vision where equality, diversity, and inclusion are considered in every aspect of the Institute’s activities and functioning. We seek to achieve this vision through:

• Inclusive and diverse representation
• Transparent and equitable science
• Outreach and engagement
• Oversight and accountability

Read our equality and diversity statement