The School of Anthropology and Conservation is delighted to announce that Dr Zoe Davies has successfully secured a European Commission research fellowship to the value of 1,953,716 Euros.

Dr Davies’ project, Environmental Spaces and the Feel-Good Factor: Relating Subject Wellbeing to Biodiversity (RELATE), seeks to explore how nature underpins human wellbeing. This timely and influential research will pioneer a unique approach to examining interactions between nature and humans, drawing together expertise across disciplines and utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods.

The funding, spanning over five years, sees Dr Davies draw together a team of researchers who reflect the interdisciplinarity of the study. Dr Robert Fish, Reader in Human Ecology from the University of Kent; Dr Katherine Irvine, Conservation and Environmental Psychologist from James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen; and Dr Martin Dallimer, Lecturer in Environmental Change, University of Leeds. The project will also be appointing two Post-Doctoral Research Assistants and a Research Assistant.

This is the largest ever fellowship awarded to a member of the Social Sciences Faculty and we are extremely proud of Dr Davies and look forward to seeing how this research fellowship progresses.

Professor Philippe De Wilde, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, commented: ‘The University is incredibly proud that Dr Davies has obtained this prestigious award from the European Commission. Her research brings together Science and Social Science, a strong point for the University of Kent. Dr Davies’ work is high-profile and well-cited. She is a member of DICE, the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology in the School of Anthropology and Conservation.’