July 2026

The African Nature Future Lab welcomes three new MSc students working at the Centre for Environmental Policy and the Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Campus at Imperial College London.

Thalia Letrilliart’s research is on scaling adaptation finance for mangroves in Sierra Leone. She is interested in understanding current barriers to adaptation finance, and how financial systems can better support high-quality  ecosystem restoration projects. Originally from France, Thalia previously completed a BSc in Politics and International Relations at @University College London. Her undergraduate thesis examined global ocean governance under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty, analysing institutional fragmentation and the potential for more coordinated management of high seas fisheries. Alongside her academic studies, Thalia has gained experience working with environmental startups, impact investors, and contributing to environmental policy research. Through these roles, she developed an interest in the intersection between environmental governance, financial mechanisms, and the practical challenges of implementing sustainability initiatives.

Meet Lingda Lu, studying the ecological impacts of African Development Corridors on habitat connectivity and wildlife movement, with a focus on the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Aream Namibia. This work will have implications for the migration routes of lions and the future range shifts. She is study a Master of Research in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. With a BSc in Physics at Imperial College London on climate science and oceanography, she brings strong quantitative, computational skills in statistics, machine learning, numerical modelling, and large-scale environmental data analysis. She also has hands-on field experience in raptor monitoring, grassland restoration, and GPS-based studies of mammal behaviour through work with conservation organisations and research teams in China and the UK. She recently attended the Conservation Asia Congress Nepal in June. Themes included human-wildlife coexistence, community-based conservation and illegal wildlife trade in Asia, organised by the Society for Conservation Biology.

Tara Garlick is undertaking research on urban agriculture in Antananarivo, Madagascar and the impact of climate and land use changes on local food security. Tara grew up in Nottingham, UK and completed her BA in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge in ecology and environmental biology. Following this, Tara worked at the University of Cambridge’s Environmental Plant Physiology Group to improve photosynthetic efficiency in maize crops. She conducted an internship at the University of Nottingham’s Right’s Lab using GIS to investigate illegal mining practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Outside of her studies, Tara writes for the environmental section of the student newspaper and conducts outreach workshops to London-based primary schools. She spent two years living in Spain.

We look forward to working together in the months to come!