About
Dr. David Roberts is a Reader in Biodiversity Conservation at the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE). Prior to this role, he worked as a senior scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) and held the Hrdy Fellowship in Conservation Biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on extinction modeling, orchid ecology, psychology of species identification, and wildlife trade. Roberts has supervised numerous graduate students, including current PhD candidates and MSc researchers exploring topics like marine ornamental fisheries, sustainable ornamental plants, and illegal wildlife trade networks. He is actively involved in professional organizations such as the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group and serves on the Science Advisory Board of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). His work integrates statistical methods, ecological fieldwork, and interdisciplinary collaboration to address conservation challenges.
Research Interests: Roberts' work spans extinction risk assessment, applying statistical models to infer species extinction, orchid pollination ecology, and the psychological aspects of species misidentification. He also investigates the economic and cyber-enabled dimensions of wildlife trade, including the illegal trade of reptiles, amphibians, and plants. His fieldwork in Africa, Madagascar, and the Western Indian Ocean has contributed significantly to conservation strategies and museum specimen utilization.
Professional Contributions: Roberts holds editorial roles, including Senior Editor at Cambridge Prisms: Extinction, and participates in international conservation initiatives like the Interpol Wildlife Crime Working Group. His publications emphasize ethical research practices, reproducibility in science, and the societal impacts of extinction awareness.
