Chris holds a BSc (Hons) in Animal Biology from Nottingham Trent University and an MRes in Ecology and Environmental Biology from the University of Glasgow. He was recently awarded a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, where he employed DNA metabarcoding techniques to analyse the diet and microbiome of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in Scotland.

Alongside his PhD, Chris authored a ClimateXChange report for Scottish Government and NatureScot on the role of deer in carbon sequestration and coauthored a peer-reviewed article exploring the effects of deer culling on nutrient cycling across Scottish ecosystems.

Now a member of the advisory pathology team at Forest Research (NRS), Chris supports tree health diagnostics and undertakes associated laboratory work, applying his expertise in ecological research and molecular analysis.