Professor Richard (Dez) Delahay

Chair of the Science Advisory Committee (SAC)

Dez is a wildlife biologist working at the interface between ecology and epidemiology, and has been Chair of the SAC since September 2023. Dez is responsible for recruiting, convening and consulting the members of the Science Advisory Committee, to ensure that the Mammal Society’s decisions and priorities are based on the most up-to-date and robust science possible.

In his role as a scientist for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) he works mainly on the ecology and management of diseases in wildlife, particularly bovine tuberculosis (TB). He regularly provides advice to Government and other stakeholders, working closely with academic colleagues in the Centre for Ecology & Conservation and the Environment and Sustainability Institute.

Dez also co-supervises PhD researchers working on a variety of topics related to mammal ecology, and the epidemiology and management of wildlife diseases.