About me

I have been working in Wildlife and Conservation Management since 1992 (since 1998 in Derbyshire), after obtaining a degree  in environmental science at Wolverhampton University and a postgraduate course in conservation management at Surrey University.

I have held a number of professional jobs working on conservation, including Wildlife Sites Officer for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Biodiversity Project Officer for the Lowland Derbyshire Biodiversity Partnership and a Biodiversity Mentor for the iSpot Project (Part of the Open University).

Alongside my full time jobs, I have organised and taught many informal and formal training courses. I completed a series of teacher training qualifications finishing with a PGCE in further education at Sheffield Hallam University in 2007.

I am a full member of both the Institute for Learning (IfL) and Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.   (CIEEM).

I have been doing wildlife related adult education classes for a number of years (some under my maiden name, Debbie Court). I teach for the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) and Derbyshire County Council (under their Adult and Community Education Service).

In 2011 I was taken on as an Associate Lecturer within the Biological and Forensic Science Dept at the University of Derby. Initially this was to lecture on the MSc Conservation Programme. Now I am a full time senior lecturer. I am also involved in research within the department.

I am interested in all aspects of wildlife, especially British wildlife, and am involved in a number of Derbyshire wildlife related groups including the Derbyshire Mammal Group where I am the county mammal recorder. This group, along with Sorby Natural History Society, has recently published the book 'Mammals of Derbyshire', of which I am co-author.  More information on the book is available here on the Derbyshire Mammal Group website.