Our researchers
Prof Bernd Hänfling
IBFC Director
Expertise: eDNA, population genetics, phylogeography, freshwater conservation
Dr Victoria Pritchard
Senior Researcher in Genomics
Expertise: conservation genetics, evolutionary genetics, bioinformatics.
Prof. Eric Verspoor
Senior Researcher in Fisheries Genetics
Expertise: Salmonid biology and management, population genetics, phylogeography.
Dr Barbara Morrissey
Researcher in Genetics
Expertise: Molecular ecology, methods development for molecular genetics.
Dr Euan Bowditch
Researcher & Lecturer in Forestry and Social Ecology
Expertise: Forestry and integrated land management, social science methods, forest and tree health, nature and education.
Dr Andrew Duncan
Researcher & Lecturer in Data Science
Expertise in: Network analysis, mathematical modelling, data visualisation, R and Shiny.
Dr Monika Maleszka-Ritchie
Research Development Facilitator Researcher in Archaeology
Expertise in archaeology, heritage outreach and interpretation.
Dr Nathan P. Griffiths
Researcher in Environmental DNA
Expertise: Molecular ecology, freshwater ecology, environmental management and decision-making.
Dr Cristian Navarro Waggershauser
Researcher in Wildlife Ecology
Expertise: Species interactions, population ecology, molecular ecology, camera trapping, wildlife management.
Dr Samantha Beck
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Global Research Fellow
Expertise: Evolutionary biology, genomics, conservation genetics.
Dr James Macdonald
KTP Associate Product Development Engineer
Expertise: Engineering and technology
Dasha Svobodova
Research Assistant
Expertise: Molecular genetics, water chemistry.
Charley Clark
Research Assistant
Expertise: Microbiology, laboratory skills and maintenance.
Matthew Curran
Research Assistant & Lecturer in Environmental Science
Expertise: Knowledge exchange, freshwater biodiversity conservation, Scottish salmon management.
Students
Lydia McGill
PhD student
Project: Genomic analysis of population connectivity in the Scottish marine protected areas network to inform nature conservation.
Sunny Bradbury
PhD student
Project: The spatial scale of adaptive population differentiation in Atlantic salmon - local adaption in smolt migration.
Sam Jones
PhD student
Project: Development of a robust, standardised protocol for monitoring the distribution, abundance, and ecology of the freshwater pearl mussel, M. margaritifera.
James Macarthur
PhD student
Project: Investigating the impacts of beavers on migratory fish and conservation priority mammals.
Alanna-Jo McCallum
MRes student
Project: Exploring the microbiome in Scottish freshwater pearl mussels - a metabarcoding analysis using third generation nanopore sequencing.
Robert Jackson
MRes student
Project: Smolts through the system; a comprehensive investigation of salmon smolt migration through the Awe hydro scheme.
Research associates
External supervision
External supervision
External supervision
Andrada Opris
Supervisor name: Dr Bernd Hänfling
Home organisation: Napier University Edinburgh
Clare Collins
Supervisor name: Dr Bernd Hänfling
Home organisation: University of Hull
Ilgaz Cakim
Supervisor name: Dr Barbara Morrissey
Home organisation: UHI North, West and Hebrides
Matthew Lewis
Supervisor name: Dr Bernd Hänfling
Home organisation: John Moores University Liverpool
Precious Munyanduki
Supervisor name: Dr Euan Bowditch
Home organisation: University of Freetown and Venda in South Africa
- Precious MUNYANDUKI | Senior Technician | MSc Forest Management and Environment | University of Venda, Thohoyandou | univen | Department of Forestry | Research profile (researchgate.net)
- Precious Munyanduki | LinkedIn
Sara Peixoto
Supervisor name: Dr Bernd Hänfling
Home organisation: University of Hull
Victoria Ashley-Wheeler
Supervisor name: Dr Barbara Morrissey
Home organisation: Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).
Victoria Gillman
Supervisor name: Dr Victoria Pritchard
Home organisation: University of Aberdeen
Former UHI Inverness researchers
Former UHI Inverness researchers
- Professor Melanie Smith (Vice Principal Academic and Research 20XX – 2023), now Research Director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust.
- Dr Louise De Raad (Researcher 2013-2022), now Head of Research Scotland and Director of the Scottish Research & Demonstration Farm,
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.
- Silvia Ferreira Carvalho (Research Assistant 2018-2021), now Higher Scientific Officer at Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast.
- Dr Agata Drywa (Researcher 2017-2020)
- Dr Mark Coulson (Senior Researcher 2014-2019), now Science Advisor for Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada.
- Dr Elspeth Macdonald (Researcher 2013-2020)
Research alumni
Research alumni
Dr. Antti Miettinen (PhD, University of Helsinki)
Genomic approaches to guide the conservation and management of wild Atlantic salmon
Award date: 2023
Supervisor: Dr. Victoria Pritchard
Asta Pavilionytė (MRes Archaeology)
Evaluating and reviewing the structure and public benefits realised by archaeological investigations undertaken as a consequence of major
road infrastructure development in Scotland
Award date: 2023
Supervisor Dr. Monika Maleszka-Ritchie
Dr. Stuart Bence (PhD)
Title:
Award date: 2023
Supervisor: Professor Melanie Smith
Dr Shraveena Venkatesh (PhD)
Environmental DNA metabarcoding for assessing benthic ecological status associated with salmon farming.
Award date: 2022
Supervisor Dr Barbara Morrissey/ Dr Victoria Pritchard
Dr Evan Roderick (PhD)
Fish counters what are they counting and what does it tell us?
Award date: 2021
Supervisor: Professor Eric Verspoor