PhD Defence Taylor Craft 'Bird’s-Eye Views'

We are pleased to announce that Taylor Craft will defend his PhD thesis on 22 January 2026 in the Auditorium of Campus Fryslân, Wirdumerdijk 34, 8911 CE Leeuwarden.

It is possible to follow the defence online via the livestream.

Programme:

• 10:00 - 10:30 - Walk-in

• 10:30 - 11:00 - Layperson’s talk

• 11:00 - 12:15 - PhD defence

• 20:00 - Celebration (in Groningen)

You can indicate here that you would like to attend the graduation ceremony. You can also register for the party in the evening.

On the thesis

Taylor Craft’s PhD research, Bird’s-Eye Views: Tracking landscape change through remote sensing imagery and movements of Black-tailed Godwits, examines how Black-tailed Godwits use and move through agricultural and wetland landscapes throughout their entire annual cycle, including breeding, migration, and non-breeding periods. By combining high-resolution tracking data with environmental and land-use information, the research investigates how changes in farming practices, wetland availability, and habitat quality influence godwit movement, habitat selection, and survival.

This work aims to identify critical sites and landscape features that godwits depend on at different times of year, as well as periods when they may be most vulnerable to environmental change. Ultimately, the research demonstrates how integrating animal tracking with environmental data can inform more effective, large-scale conservation strategies that balance agricultural land use with the long-term protection of migratory waterbirds and the ecosystems they rely on.

The promotor of Taylor's research is Theunis Piersma and the co-promotors are Anne Beaulieu, Ruth Howison en Mohamed Henriques.