The Derek Moore Student Research Awards
Welsh Ornithological Society
These awards recognise and promote the contribution made to Welsh ornithology by undergraduate and masters level students researching birds in Wales. They are given in memory of Derek Moore, a conservation champion and former chairman of WOS. There are two awards: one for undergraduates and one for postgraduates.
Who qualifies?
Any full- or part-time undergraduate or Master’s student who writes a dissertation based on a study of birds in Wales. The entrant must have completed the field work for their dissertation in Wales and must be available to accept the award in person and present a poster on their dissertation at the WOS annual conference. Dissertations completed in the current or previous calendar year can be submitted.
Who can nominate?
Either the student undertaking the work or their tutor (with the student’s agreement).
How is it judged?
WOS Council will select the studies that they consider to be the best in furthering the knowledge and conservation of birds in Wales.
What do they win?
Undergraduate award: A cheque for £200 and an invitation to make a short presentation at the WOS Annual Conference, and to submit a paper, based on their dissertation, for publication in the WOS journal, Milvus. The conference fee and up to £20 travel costs will be added to the value of the award.
Post-graduate award: A cheque for £400 and an invitation to make a short presentation at the WOS Annual Conference, and to submit a paper, based on their dissertation, for publication in the WOS journal, Milvus. The conference fee and up to £20 travel costs will be added to the value of the award.
How do I enter?
The application form and guidance notes for the undergraduate and postgraduate awards can be downloaded in Word or PDF here.
When can I enter?
Sadly, we did not receive any appropriate submissions for 2022, 2023 and 2024, but we were delighted to make a postgraduate award in 2025 to Fraser Masterson – see the gallery below.
Applications for the 2026 awards will open in May 2026 and completed applications must be received by 1st July 2026. For both awards you must use the application form and guidance on this website (PDF or Word).
Who has received a Student Research Award?
Fraser Masterson
2025
Using n-dimensional hypervolumes to understand coexistence between fundamentally similar diving seabirds. Read about his study here.
Luke Beckett
2021
for Long-term population recovery of Dippers Cinclus cinclus in urban South Wales in relation to river quality and prey use. Read about his study here.
Olivia Norris
2020
for research on the impacts of mictoplastics on Puffins on Skomer and also on the zooplankton and sand eels too. She found that 97% of samples had micro plastics in them and that 1,140 micro plastics were found during the study.
Jack Devlin
2019
for research on Pheasant diet and their impact on upland landscapes. Read more about his study here.
Joe d’Souza
2018 winner
Joe d’Souza for a research study on the incidence of plastics pollution affecting urban Dippers in South Wales.
Libby Brooks
2017 winner
Libby Brooks (Cardiff University), for a study on habitat dynamics impacting on Pied Flycatcher breeding
Cathryn Tyrrell
2016 winner
Cathryn Tyrrell (Cardiff University), for a DNA study of the diet of birds.
Faith Jones
2014 winner
Faith Jones (Bangor University), for a spatial analysis of Oystercatchers on Traeth Lafan SPA.
Emma-Louise Cole
2015 winner
Emma-Louise Cole (Swansea University), for a study of the breeding biology of Honey Buzzards in South Wales.
Stacey Melia
2013 winner
Stacey Melia (Aberystwyth University), for a study of the diet of Ospreys nesting on the Dyfi estuary.