Colin Lawton, pioneer in Citizen Science & ‘Mammal Detective’ advocacy

Dr. Colin Lawton is a lecturer in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology in the Zoology discipline in NUI Galway. Colin is also the Head of the Biodiversity and Bioresources research cluster of the university’s Ryan Institute. Since he moved to Galway in 2001, Colin has led several projects investigating the mammals and other wildlife of parks, woodlands and other green spaces in Galway city. Together with his team of undergraduate and postgraduate students he has explored the mammal communities throughout the city, and has spearheaded various Citizen Science projects to gather information from the informed and interested Galway public. He has published scientific papers on the wildlife of Galway city, including the first record of the introduced bank vole in the city. Colin’s research group specialise in the use of non-invasive monitoring, such as hair tubes, footprint tunnels, trail cameras and searches for tracks and signs of mammals. Colin has worked with various schools in Galway over many years bringing his message that anyone can be a ‘mammal detective’.