Mathematician Dr Thomas Woolley wins poster prize at international biology conference
6 August 2025
Dr Thomas Woolley was awarded a poster prize for his mathematical research on tracking bat movements to identify their roost locations.
The Annual Conference for the Society for Mathematical Biology was recently held in Canada, where Dr Woolley won a $250 poster prize out of more than 120 entries, the only winning submission from the UK.
The conference brought together applied mathematicians from around the world to share research addressing biological, ecological, and medical challenges.
As the lead researcher, Dr Woolley developed a mathematical modelling approach that uses radio tracking data to predict bat movement patterns, helping ecologists locate roosts more efficiently. These sites are legally protected in both the UK and internationally, making this work vital for conservation efforts.
The project is a collaboration between researchers at Cardiff University and the University of Sussex. Dr Woolley worked alongside Professor Owen Jones, PhD candidate Lucy Henley, postdoctoral researcher Domnhall Finch, and Professor Fiona Mathews.
Reacting to the award, Dr Woolley commented:
I’m delighted that we’ve received this recognition, not just for the mathematics but for its potential to support bat conservation. Many people grow up disliking maths because they’re only exposed to rote learning. It's our job to show how powerful and practical mathematics can be in solving real-world problems.
Dr Woolley is currently working with Professor Jones and Professor Mathews on a research paper on optimising ecology resources. Their method involves placing microphones in the field to detect bat calls but determining the most effective microphone locations is a mathematical challenge in itself.
“I’d love to continue this work to see how widely it can be applied,” Dr Woolley added.
“So far, we’ve focused on greater horseshoe bats, but there are plenty of other species we could investigate.”
