Alexa Piggott
Faculty Research Assistant

Biography: Originally from South West England, I have worked as a researcher and field biologist in seabird ecology and conservation around the globe. I started my career in Mauritius, with a focus on invasive species removal and seabird translocation. Since then I have worked on various projects studying seabird breeding biology and foraging ecology. I spent several years as a research assistant with Oregon State University, leading field crews and managing project logistics in Alaska, Oregon, and California. Most recently, I worked for BirdLife International in the UK where I completed the 2020 IUCN Red List Assessments for European Birds and served as the European Marine/Seabird Technical Assistant focused on the impact of offshore wind farm development on seabirds in the North and Baltic Seas.

For my MRes. (Master of Research), I examined temporal changes in the diet composition and dietary overlap of Caspian Terns and Double-crested Cormorants breeding on East Sand Island, Oregon, in response to local environmental variables and dynamic oceanographic conditions.

Education: MRes. – Applied Marine and Fisheries Ecology, University of Aberdeen, UK, 2013 
BSc. (Hons) – Zoology, University of Bristol, UK, 2009
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Research Interests:  Seabird movement, foraging ecology, breeding biology, habitat restoration, and conservation management; renewable energy and marine spatial planning.