Current team members
Professor Andy Radford

Principal investigator (andy.radford@bristol.ac.uk)
Andy has long been fascinated by the behaviour and vocalisations of social animals. From his PhD onwards, he has used a combination of observational data, sound recordings and experimental manipulations on wild populations of cooperatively breeding African birds to considerhow vocalisations mediate cooperation and conflict. His research group now work on a broad range of taxa, including birds, fish, social insects and mammals, with the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project at the core. Current research interests include information reliability, interspecific eavesdropping, the benefits of 'friendships', and the consequences of out-group conflict; the latter is the focus of his 5-year ERC Consolidator Grant.
Andy has long been fascinated by the behaviour and vocalisations of social animals. From his PhD onwards, he has used a combination of observational data, sound recordings and experimental manipulations on wild populations of cooperatively breeding African birds to considerhow vocalisations mediate cooperation and conflict. His research group now work on a broad range of taxa, including birds, fish, social insects and mammals, with the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project at the core. Current research interests include information reliability, interspecific eavesdropping, the benefits of 'friendships', and the consequences of out-group conflict; the latter is the focus of his 5-year ERC Consolidator Grant.
Dr Julie Kern

Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2016-2018 (julie.kern@bristol.ac.uk)
Julie set up the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project in 2011 and subsequently conducted her MSc on sentinel behaviour in the population. She completed her PhD on the species in July 2016, investigating flexible receiver responses to anti-predator vocalisations in the species. She examined the influence of caller identity, exploring effects of signaller class and reliability, as well as the influence of social bond strength between signallers and receivers. She also investigated the effect of situational variability on signal response, including fluctuations in background risk, individual satiation, and groupmate behaviour, as well as the impacts of anthropogenic noise. She returned for 16 months of postdoctoral research on the project where she investigated biological markets, specifically focusing on the exchange of sentinel and grooming behaviour, as well as using social network analysis to examine the social relationships within groups. She continues to be involved alongside other projects, investigating long-term datasets and movement data.
Julie set up the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project in 2011 and subsequently conducted her MSc on sentinel behaviour in the population. She completed her PhD on the species in July 2016, investigating flexible receiver responses to anti-predator vocalisations in the species. She examined the influence of caller identity, exploring effects of signaller class and reliability, as well as the influence of social bond strength between signallers and receivers. She also investigated the effect of situational variability on signal response, including fluctuations in background risk, individual satiation, and groupmate behaviour, as well as the impacts of anthropogenic noise. She returned for 16 months of postdoctoral research on the project where she investigated biological markets, specifically focusing on the exchange of sentinel and grooming behaviour, as well as using social network analysis to examine the social relationships within groups. She continues to be involved alongside other projects, investigating long-term datasets and movement data.
Sophie Manson

Project Manager, Oct 2017-March 2018
Sophie returns to the project as our new project manager after completing her MSci at the University of Bristol in July 2017. Sophie brings experience from several South African research projects, including time as a research assistant at the dwarf mongoose research project in 2016. We're delighted to welcome her back.
Sophie returns to the project as our new project manager after completing her MSci at the University of Bristol in July 2017. Sophie brings experience from several South African research projects, including time as a research assistant at the dwarf mongoose research project in 2016. We're delighted to welcome her back.
Amy Morris-Drake

PhD Student, 2017-2020 (am9162@bristol.ac.uk)
Returning to the project after completing her MSc on cross-modal impacts of anthropogenic noise on dwarf mongooses in 2016, Amy is conducting a PhD on between-group conflict and its consequences. To date, research has focussed on the immediate defensive responses to out-group threats, but how such conflict affects within-group behaviour in the aftermath has received little attention. By conducting behavioural observations, experimental manipulations and analysing long-term data, Amy hopes to unravel the lasting behavioural impacts of out-group conflict in dwarf mongooses.
Returning to the project after completing her MSc on cross-modal impacts of anthropogenic noise on dwarf mongooses in 2016, Amy is conducting a PhD on between-group conflict and its consequences. To date, research has focussed on the immediate defensive responses to out-group threats, but how such conflict affects within-group behaviour in the aftermath has received little attention. By conducting behavioural observations, experimental manipulations and analysing long-term data, Amy hopes to unravel the lasting behavioural impacts of out-group conflict in dwarf mongooses.
Emma Eastcott

MSc student 2016-2017 (ee13249@bristol.ac.uk)
As a growing environmental pollutant, there has been a recent increase in the number of studies investigating the effect of anthropogenic noise on wildlife. Many papers examine the effect on vocal communication, but a few recent studies have established that noise can have detrimental effects on other modalities, such as olfaction. Emma is interested in how noise may affect cognitive processes such as decision-making and memory, and is looking at the effect of noise on two crucial behaviours: foraging and sentinel behaviour, using playback experiments.
As a growing environmental pollutant, there has been a recent increase in the number of studies investigating the effect of anthropogenic noise on wildlife. Many papers examine the effect on vocal communication, but a few recent studies have established that noise can have detrimental effects on other modalities, such as olfaction. Emma is interested in how noise may affect cognitive processes such as decision-making and memory, and is looking at the effect of noise on two crucial behaviours: foraging and sentinel behaviour, using playback experiments.
Josh Arbon

MSc student 2017-2018 (ja13233@bristol.ac.uk)
Having completed his undergraduate at Bristol in 2016, Josh comes to the project off the back of a year working in VR/wildlife film. His research aims to focus on three main strands. First, using playback experiments to investigate whether sentinels can mitigate some of the costs of the behaviour by gathering social information about food availability and patch quality. Second, using supplementary feeding manipulations to examine whether investments into cost-dependent cooperative behaviours, such as sentinel duty, facilitate opportunities in cost-independent behaviours such as grooming. Finally, through faecal sample microsatellite analysis, Josh hopes to gain accurate relatedness estimates for the study population. Using a non-invasive sampling technique, genetic relationships between individuals will be obtained, giving an insight into the relatedness structure of groups, as well as the population as a whole. This will garner valuable insights into subordinate and inter-group matings, and give greater explanatory power to analyses of costs and investments.
Having completed his undergraduate at Bristol in 2016, Josh comes to the project off the back of a year working in VR/wildlife film. His research aims to focus on three main strands. First, using playback experiments to investigate whether sentinels can mitigate some of the costs of the behaviour by gathering social information about food availability and patch quality. Second, using supplementary feeding manipulations to examine whether investments into cost-dependent cooperative behaviours, such as sentinel duty, facilitate opportunities in cost-independent behaviours such as grooming. Finally, through faecal sample microsatellite analysis, Josh hopes to gain accurate relatedness estimates for the study population. Using a non-invasive sampling technique, genetic relationships between individuals will be obtained, giving an insight into the relatedness structure of groups, as well as the population as a whole. This will garner valuable insights into subordinate and inter-group matings, and give greater explanatory power to analyses of costs and investments.
Emily Richens

MSc student 2017-2018 (er14693@bristol.ac.uk)
Emily finished her BSc at Bristol in 2017 before jumping straight back into university life, beginning her MSc in Sept 2017. Emily is investigating various impacts of anthropogenic noise on dwarf mongoose behaviour, focusing on their habitat use and refuge choice.
Emily finished her BSc at Bristol in 2017 before jumping straight back into university life, beginning her MSc in Sept 2017. Emily is investigating various impacts of anthropogenic noise on dwarf mongoose behaviour, focusing on their habitat use and refuge choice.
Harry Suter
ASAB summer studentship student, 2017

As part of the ASAB undergraduate project scholarship scheme, Harry spend 12 weeks investigating how personality influences the behavioural responses of dwarf mongooses to anthropogenic noise. This involved establishing personality types through novel object presentations, followed by exposure to traffic noise. The purpose of Harry's work is not only to establish the effect anthropogenic noise can have on the mongooses at a population level, but also to understand why individuals may differ in their response at an individual level. He has since returned to Bristol to finish his MSci degree.
Past team members
Amy Morris-Drake |
Charlotte Christensen |
MSc student 2014-2016 (am9162@bristol.ac.uk)
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MSc student 2014-2015 (cc0157@bristol.ac.uk)
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MSc student, 2013-2014 (anna.bracken@bristol.ac.uk)
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MSc student, 2013-2014 (kate.rogerson@bristol.ac.uk)
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Katie CollierPhD student, University of Zurich 2012- 2016 (katie.collier@ieu.uzh.ch)
![]() Katie conducted her PhD through the University of Zurich under the supervision of Professor Marta Manser and Dr Simon Townsend. Her work focused on vocal communication and language evolution in social mongooses, inolving fieldwork on dwarf mongooses and meerkats.
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Amy Sibun![]() MSc student, 2012-2013 (amy.sibun@bristol.ac.uk)
Amy's research focused on the grooming and foraging behaviour of dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula), and whether individuals have a preference for companions for the respective behaviours. She conducted in depth analysis to determine whether there was a correlation between these preferences, in order to work out if dwarf mongooses have long-term preferred companions, thus forming 'cliques' within family groups. |
Katie Rapson |
Pip Laker |
ASAB summer studentship student, 2015
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ASAB summer studentship student, 2014
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Project managers
Anna Bracken
Anna, also an ex mongoose MSc student, returned to manage the project while conducting further research into her area of interest - the use of heterospecific alarm calls. She is now conducting a PhD with Dr Andy King at Swansea University. |
Charlotte Christensen
Charlotte brought a depth of mongoose experience with her when she returned to manage the project after completion of her MSc. She is now conducting a PhD with Dr Ines Fuertbauer at Swansea University. |
Dr Emily Bennitt
Emily brought much fieldwork experience to the project having completed her PhD on the ecology of buffalo in the Okavango Delta. She now holds tender at the University of Botswana's Okavango Research Institute. |
Nate Thavarajah
Nate came to us with several years' experience at the Kalahari Meerkat Project. Nate went on to conduct his PhD on sexual selection in peacocks at Manchester University. |
Research Assistants
Many thanks to all our wonderful research assistants past and present. We couldn't do any of it without you!
Rosie Miles, Miriam Fenkes, Megan Shersby, Hayley Muir, Amy Morris-Drake, Charlotte Christensen, Sophie Le Butt, Sophie Edwards, Xiana Batallan, Bryony Davison, Fiona Carr, Emma Ackerley, Duncan Edgeley, Sarah Roberts, Anna Bracken, Alice Lawrence, Naomi Terry, Jack Browne, Olivia Dellow, Alice Morrell, Billy Morris, Hayley McLennan, Sophie Manson, Alice Chamberlain, Antony Brown, Jenny Lackie, Robbie Birkett, Emily Howland, Rowan Thomas, Katie Collier, Harry Suter, Alanah Lewis, Izzy Jarold, Tecla Mohr, Emily Grout, Jenny Linden.
Rosie Miles, Miriam Fenkes, Megan Shersby, Hayley Muir, Amy Morris-Drake, Charlotte Christensen, Sophie Le Butt, Sophie Edwards, Xiana Batallan, Bryony Davison, Fiona Carr, Emma Ackerley, Duncan Edgeley, Sarah Roberts, Anna Bracken, Alice Lawrence, Naomi Terry, Jack Browne, Olivia Dellow, Alice Morrell, Billy Morris, Hayley McLennan, Sophie Manson, Alice Chamberlain, Antony Brown, Jenny Lackie, Robbie Birkett, Emily Howland, Rowan Thomas, Katie Collier, Harry Suter, Alanah Lewis, Izzy Jarold, Tecla Mohr, Emily Grout, Jenny Linden.