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CRM Team
Dr Emma Stone
Director & Founder
CRM and the umbrella charity Conservation Research Africa were founded by Dr Emma Stone. Emma is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Bath (UK) , where she leads the Bat Conservation Research Lab and a diverse programme of applied conservation research. Emma is also a member of the IUCN hyaena specialist committee, and IUCN bat specialist committee contributing to species red list assessments for African bats. Emma directs all our programmes, and has worked in Africa since 1998. Emma's research focus is applied conservation biology with a strong emphasis on evidence based conservation, in particular human-wildlife conflict management, and mitigating the impacts of global environmental change.
Emma was a leader in some of the first experimental studies on the impact of light pollution of wildlife. Emma has published important work on human-wildlife conflict including studies on managing bats in historic buildings – work that has influenced government policy on licensing protocols for endangered species. She has also made important contributions to the limited role of mitigation in conservation and she was invited to write the first review of the effects of lighting on bats. Emma has secured over £2.8 million in funding since 2005 (1550 citations, H-Index 16).
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Email: els201@bath.ac.uk
Katheryn Leggat
PhD Student
Katheryn holds a BSc in Conservation & Countryside Management and an MSc in Wildlife Biology & Conservation. She also has 15 years’ of professional and voluntary experience as an ecologist, working primarily in the UK where she delivered the role of Associate Director and regional team leader for a global engineering and environmental consultancy. Alongside this, she sat on the board of trustees for Kent Bat Group for over eight years, where she coordinated volunteers and led local research efforts for the charity.
With a particular passion for African wildlife, Katheryn has taken numerous trips to explore the continent, supporting conservation and research projects along the way.
In 2021 she relocated to Zambia to work as the Knowledge Manager for Kasanka Trust, overseeing all planning, research, monitoring, evaluation and reporting tasks in Kasanka National Park and Kafinda Game Management Area.
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Katheryn is now excited to be pursuing a PhD at the University of Bath, working in partnership with Carnivore Research Malawi. Her research focuses on the behavioural plasticity of hyaenas, with a particular focus on how they adapt to the urban environment and how this may drive human-wildlife conflicts.
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Email: kl994@bath.ac.uk
Pilirani Sankhani
Operations & Research Officer
Conservation Research Africa (CRA) welcomes Pilirani Sankhani for the Operations and Research Officer role in Malawi. Pili has a strong interest and extensive experience in project coordination, execution, research, and outreach.
Pili has 16 years of work experience in wildlife conservation organisations in Malawi and has been involved in varying roles ranging from law enforcement, hospitality to research and rehabilitation coordination. Pili has10 years of work experience conducting operations and research with Lilongwe Wildlife Trust Pili brings to CRA a wealth of transferable skills and expertise.
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Pili has undertaken a Diploma in Environmental Management and has formal training in guiding, 4x4 driving and first aid. His energetic and motivated personality makes him very effective at providing logistical support to projects across the board at CRA while his communication skills coupled with his confidence make him an invaluable asset to our education and outreach efforts.
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Paula Anza
Research Manager
Paula is a forestry engineer and environmentalist who, after working in environmental impact assessment for four years in Spain, decided to pursue her true passion: wildlife conservation, ecology, and research. In 2022, she completed a postgraduate degree in the study and conservation of large African mammals to strengthen her expertise in this field.
In 2023, she joined CRM as a Research Assistant. Her dedication and field experience led her to become Research Manager in 2024, where she now leads research projects and oversees data collection and monitoring techniques such as camera trapping, tracking, and behavioral studies.
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She also works closely with local communities to address human-wildlife conflict.
Beyond research, Paula has been a lecturer in educational courses in Kenya on large mammals.
Passionate about nature, Paula continues to expand her knowledge of wildlife research techniques and enjoys nature photography as a way to connect people with conservation.
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Andoni Dios
Senior Research Assistant
Andoni Dios, a Spanish Forestry Engineer and Environmentalist, specialized in the Iberian Wolf and its conflict with livestock farming. Before joining CRM, he participated in launching a project focused on radio-collar tracking of wolves and conflict mitigation in Spain. In 2022, he completed a postgraduate program on African large mammal studies.
Currently, he teaches for a Spanish environmental education association in Kenya, aimed at highlighting the diversity of large mammals in Africa.
Additionally, he collaborates with the University of Barcelona on camera trapping lessons. He joins CRM eagerly, to gain experience in conservation in Africa.
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​​​​Email: andoni@carnivoreresearchmalawi.org
Esther Chikapa
Outreach Officer & Women in STEM Ambassador
Esther started working for CRA five years ago when she moved to Lilongwe as a cleaner and cook, and so is our longest serving member of staff. During her time with CRA her affection for bats & carnivores developed through working with the project, talking to research assistants and meeting volunteers. With the help of staff members, Esther started to become involved in the bat surveys with our sister organisation ABC, learning on the job about conservation and science.
Esther also enjoys the outreach work and is vital to our human conflict mitigation efforts. She also enjoys visiting schools and children in the communities where she can share her experience with others and teach children about carnivores and their importance in ecosystems. She is passionate about empowering girls to involve themselves in Science. Esther is currently working with CRA on fulfilling her dream to go back to school to finish her education.