Dr Victoria Franks
School of Science, Engineering & Environment
Current positions
Lecturer
Biography
I completed my BSc in Zoology at Aberystwyth University in 2008, before undertaking an MSc in Wild Animal Biology at the Royal Veterinary College/Zoological Society of London, graduating in 2012. I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge where I investigated the importance of early-life sociality for learning and conservation in a threatened New Zealand songbird (the hihi).
Following my PhD, I was a postdoctoral researcher at Royal Holloway university, where I worked to investigate honeybee communication methods with Prof. Elli Leadbeater. I was later employed as a Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at the University of Chester, before taking up my position at University of Salford in 2024.
Areas of Research
Animal behaviour, conservation, threatened species, ornithology, social network analysis
I teach across a range of undergraduate and MSc modules, covering zoos and conservation, ornithology, ecology, and conservation biology. I am module leader for L5 Conservation in Zoos, L6 Veterinary and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, and L7 Contemporary Topics in Wildlife Conservation.
Qualifications
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Zoology
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Wild Animal Biology
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Zoology