Joshua Powell
Contact
Address:
Department of Geography
University College London
North-West Wing
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
Email: joshua.powell.19@ucl.ac.uk
Web: joshua-powell.com, or profiles with: London NERC DTP and National Geographic
Supervisors
Prof. Sarah Durant, Institute of Zoology (ZSL)
Dr Jan Axmacher, University College London
Dr Linda Kerley, ANO Amur in partnership with ZSL, Russia
Dr John Ewen, Institute of Zoology (ZSL)
Research
Project Title: Challenges and Opportunities for Transboundary Conservation of Amur tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in North-East Asia
My research interests are broadly concerned with the ecology and conservation of rare and globally threatened species, particularly focussed on terrestrial mammal populations.
My current research investigates opportunities and challenges for the transboundary conservation of large carnivores in north-east Asia, primarily concerned with the Endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), the world’s largest extant cat. This necessitates the use of a range of research techniques from both the biological and social sciences, within an inter-disciplinary framework, in order to evaluate threats to transboundary Amur tiger populations at both a local and regional scale, as well as the potential opportunities and limitations for conservation interventions, including: international wildlife law, conservation translocations and mitigation of human-tiger conflict. Funding for this project is provided by the London NERC Doctoral Training Programme (DTP).
As part of my broader research interests in the conservation of endangered species, I am the Founder and Expedition Leader of Rangers Without Borders, a conservation research programme focussed on the work of wildlife rangers. Our work with Rangers Without Borders to-date has been targeted at Central Asia, the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. In addition, I maintain research interests in island conservation, the subject of my Churchill Fellowship.
I am a National Geographic Explorer and one of the faces of WWF’s #WWFVoices campaign on global biodiversity.
Biography
Education
PhD Student, London NERC DTP PhD Studentship, Institute of Zoology and University College London, UK, 2019-Present
MES Master of Environmental Studies, concentration: Environmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, USA, 2014-2016
BSc (Hons) Geography, University of Nottingham, UK, 2011–2014
Selected Employment
Policy Advisor, Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), 2018-2019
Founder & Expedition Leader, Rangers Without Borders, 2017-Present
Churchill Fellow (New Zealand, Australia, Fiji), Winston Churchill Memorial Trust UK, 2017
Selected Awards and Scholarships
Scientific Exploration Society Explorer Award for Inspiration and Scientific Trail-blazing, research grant, 2019
National Geographic Grant, research grant, 2017-2018
Churchill Fellowship, research and travel fellowship, 2017
St Gallen Symposium ‘Leader of Tomorrow’, honorary award, 2016
Thouron Award, full academic scholarship, 2014-2016
University Prize (Geography), academic award - top in school, 2014
Geography Prize, academic award - top in department, 2014
Teaching
Post-graduate teaching assistant in Genetics, Evolution & Environment (GEE), University College London.
Regular guest lecturer for schools, universities and specialist travel companies around the world, including: UK, USA, South Korea, South Georgia & Falkland Islands, Svalbard & Franz