Dr Blake Morton

Formally trained in zoology and psychology, Dr Morton is a university lecturer specialising in animal psychology and wildlife conservation.

Dr Morton's research primarily focuses on understanding the behaviour and problem-solving abilities of wild carnivores, particularly foxes, badgers, and pine martens in the United Kingdom through a programme he established in 2021 called the British Carnivore Project (BCP). The primary goals of BCP are to understand what factors drive behavioural adaptability in animals, and how this impacts human attitudes and behaviour towards nature in an ever-changing world.

Dr Morton's research is published in world-leading journals for animal behaviour and cognition, and attracts major global media attention, such as the BBC, The Guardian, TIME, and National Geographic. His work has been funded by different grants, such as the UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council, Wild Animal Initiative, and the prestigious Newton Fund. In 2022, he was awarded a ‘Research Excellence Award’ from the University of Hull.

In addition to his research, Dr Morton is the founder and co-director of the recently-established Hull Animal Behaviour Centre, which is comprised of research programmes in the UK, mainland Europe, and North America. He is the founder and convenor of the Behaviour & Ecology Research Group at the University of Hull, which was establish in 2023 in light of his growing track record for research on wildlife psychology and conservation. Since 2023, he has served as an associate editor for Royal Society Publishing and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the UK’s national Badger Trust.

For further information about Dr Morton, visit: https://www.blakemorton.co.uk/

For further information about The British Carnivore Project, visit: https://www.blakemorton.co.uk/case-studies/