Ruth Thompson

About

PhD project: Identification of Internet-based illegal wildlife trade through machine learning
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is increasingly conducted online, including popular e-commerce and social media platforms. These products are often concealed by large quantities of legally traded items, and may use code-words and misleading content to avoid detection. Enforcement in this area is challenging and largely relies on manual search and inspection of each advertised item. 
This project aims to develop novel tools for detecting potential IWT through image data used to advertise items over the Web, with elephant ivory as a case study. Analysing such images could provide a basis for  efficient identification independent of the online platform or natural language used. 
Ruth Thompson is a member of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology.  
Supervision
Dr David Roberts
Professor Julio-Hernandez-Castro
Funding
University of Kent, Vice-Chancellor's Research Scholarship