Martina Cecchetti

About me:

I am a postdoctoral researcher in cat ecology at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), working on a project focused on the management of unowned cat populations. I am also affiliated with the University of Exeter. My research centres on developing solutions to reduce cat predation on wildlife while ensuring feline welfare is not compromised.

In 2022, I was awarded the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science fellowship for a project on Linosa Island, a biodiversity hotspot, where I investigated the consumption of migratory birds by domestic cats. As Vice President of Berta Maris, an organisation dedicated to island biodiversity conservation, I lead the island’s Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, which has now achieved 95% sterilisation of the local cat population [https://www.bertamaris.com/en/2022/05/18/progetto-gatti-linosa/].

I have completed the ISFM Advanced Feline Behaviour for Veterinary Professionals course at iCatCare.

During my PhD at the University of Exeter, I led the ecological component of an interdisciplinary project aimed at developing effective, innovative, and non-invasive methods to reduce hunting behaviour in domestic cats without compromising their well-being [https://wildlifescience.org/portfolio/domestic-cats/].

Qualifications:

2021 PhD ‘Ecology and management of predation of wildlife by domestic cats’ (University of Exeter, UK)

2015 MSc in Evolution of Animal and Human Behaviour (University of Turin, Italy)

2012 BSc in Biological Sciences (University of Perugia, Italy)