A case study submitted to the Research Excellence Framework 2014 demonstrating the impact of the University's research.
Islands host a high proportion of global biodiversity and are important to evolutionary science. These ‘living laboratories’ also host many of the world’s rarest species, making them a global conservation priority.
Work by Dr Jim Groombridge at Kent’s School of Anthropology and Conservation has identified that rare populations of birds and frogs on Mauritius and in the Seychelles have surprising levels of evolutionary distinctiveness. This led to them – and other island species – becoming a high priority for conservation efforts.
With his focus on evolutionary and molecular research, Dr Groombridge uses innovative techniques within his work. For instance, one project involved sequencing the DNA of extinct species, relying on 200-year-old parrots that had been preserved as museum specimens. This helped to provide more information to protect an endangered species of parakeet on Mauritius.
The Research Excellence Framework 2014 showed that Kent ranks 17th in the UK for research intensity, has world-leading research in all subjects and that 97% of our research is deemed to be of international quality.
Contributing to the University’s REF success were the number of our world class publications, the number of research active staff and the demonstrable impact our research has made to the sciences and to economic, social and cultural understanding.