Megan joined the AWESM lab as a PhD student in the School of Natural Resources in summer 2021. She grew up in Italy surrounded by wildlife, and often spent her time outdoors exploring woods and fields. This environment influenced Megan's desire to understand the natural world encouraging her to attend a scientific high school in her hometown and then to gain a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. Driven by her desire to travel and further discover her British roots, she decided to pursue her bachelor’s in the UK. As part of the degree, Megan had a placement year at the Game and Wildlife Trust (GWCT) in the south of England, researching farmland biodiversity. Her main roles were to study spatial biodiversity of gamebirds in farmland with GIS (Geographic Information System) and to study the predation of vulnerable protected birds. During this year she conducted surveys of birds such as pheasants, partridges and woodcocks and mapped their population distribution depending on the environment with ArcGIS. She also conducted invertebrate surveys to understand the habitat and food quality for farmland birds. Her mapping work contributed to understanding where habitat management was needed to enhance farmland bird biodiversity and where management efforts were effective, thus helping in advising game management and wildlife conservation practices to farmers, shoot managers and conservation organisations. She enjoyed working there and discovered her passion for wildlife conservation, inspiring her to continue her studies and obtaining a masters in Conservation and Biodiversity in the UK.