Theoni Photopoulou

Dr. Theoni Photopoulou is a Research Fellow in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of St Andrews, with a dual affiliation to the Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling. Her work bridges statistical methodology and ecological research, focusing on animal movement patterns and conservation applications. She holds a former position as Research Associate at Nelson Mandela University (2018-2021).

Her research employs advanced statistical techniques to study marine and terrestrial wildlife, particularly large animals like whales, dolphins, and sharks. Core themes include movement ecology, population dynamics, and the impacts of environmental stressors. She collaborates internationally on projects involving North Atlantic right whales, bottlenose dolphins, and white sharks, contributing to both ecological theory and conservation policy.

Dr. Photopoulou has pioneered methods for analyzing tracking data, including hidden Markov models and epigenetic aging techniques. Her work frequently addresses conservation challenges such as habitat management, bycatch mitigation, and climate change adaptation. Notable contributions include studies on body size declines in endangered whales and spatial distribution patterns of apex predators.

Publications span high-impact journals like Proceedings of the Royal Society B and Biological Conservation, with a focus on interdisciplinary solutions to ecological problems. She has developed open datasets for tracking studies and actively engages in policy-oriented research through collaborations with conservation agencies.