Kevin Palmer
Lecturer
Kevin is a Lecturer in Conservation Biology/Zoology and a PhD candidate within the School of Natural Sciences, with extensive experience in delivering both Further and Higher Education, specialising in applied land-based and environmental topics. In his role, he teaches across both undergraduate and postgraduate provision, supervises undergraduate research projects, and serves as a Personal Academic Tutor. Kevin holds an MSc in Conservation & Biodiversity with the University of Exeter, following completion of a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science from Bournemouth University. Additionally, Kevin possesses a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education and has been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) since 2012.
Kevin’s teaching broadly captures themes in ecology and conservation, primarily across undergraduate level, but also extends to other fields within the biological sciences. Specifically, his teaching remit focuses on terrestrial ecology, field ecology, global biodiversity, conservation biology and behavioural ecology, with emphasis on reptiles and amphibians (collectively referred to as ‘herpetofauna’). Kevin is also an advocate for bridging the growing skills gap in conservation and ecology, which reflects in his passion and commitment towards developing key skills and competencies in field ecology, notably species identification and ecological census skills.
Kevin’s research interests are centred on the ecology and conservation of native herpetofauna, with emphasis placed on habitat selection and use and biomonitoring techniques. Currently, Kevin is collaborating with a range of independent ecological consultants in the training of conservation detection dogs, as an additional tool in the detection and subsequent conservation of great crested newt (Triturus cristatus), for which he possesses a Natural England license to survey for education, research, and conservation purposes. Moreover, Kevin’s PhD focuses on quantifying the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on the thermal ecology, reproductive fitness and behaviour of the European adder (Vipera berus), Britain’s only venomous snake species.