William is currently a PhD student at the University of Stirling based in the Faculty of Social Science. He started his undergraduate at Stirling in 2009 where he studied biology doing his dissertation on inheritance patterns within polyploid species from the Mimulus genus. He then went on to complete an MSc in conservation and sustainability, again at Stirling, where his research project involved looking into retrospective niche modelling to determine the origin of an invasive species (Mimulus guttatus). After this, he worked for the Scottish Wildlife Trust before starting his PhD in 2015. His PhD research involves how recreationists and visitors to nature reserves interact with local fragile species.