Georgia French

I have worked on seabirds on several islands around the UK and undertook my Masters project on sooty terns in the Seychelles. I subsequently earned a full time, 7 month role monitoring Critically Endangered Paradise Flycatchers on Denis Island, Seychelles before being offered the position of Project Coordinator with the Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles.

During three and a half years managing projects, staff and volunteers for MCSS, I worked on several species of shark, including whale sharks, bulls, tigers and lemons in addition to turtles, coral reef fish, and terrestrial amphibians and reptiles.

In addition to my role with MCSS, I was elected to the Board of Directors of the Shark Research Foundation, Seychelles and the Steering Committee for the Seychelles’ International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. Shark research included acoustic tagging and tracking, use of Baited Remote Underwater Video surveys, monitoring the catch of local shark fishermen and evaluating and designing protected areas specifically for sharks.

Upon returning to the UK, I completed a six month contract with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, using GIS and species distribution tools to evaluate the conservation status of protected amphibians, before being selected for my dream PhD on white sharks.

I have recently been awarded my PhD by the University of Sussex, where I investigated the ecological and conservation consequences of individual and sexual differences in white sharks, with field work in South Africa. I am also the Founder and Chairperson of SharkStuff, a Registered Charity based in Poole, Dorset. SharkStuff uses education to change perception, and science to save sharks. We run a suite of educational and research projects to benefit sharks, particularly UK species, and especially those found around the coast of Dorset.