Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Publications
Software
Timeline
Generic

Tom Thacker

Researcher
Washington,DC

Summary

Multilingual candidate with experience working in remote settings to carry out research and alongside nonprofit organizations. Looking to leverage technical qualifications and experiences in other sectors to further a career in big cat conservation.

Overview

6
6
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
4
4
Languages

Work History

ArcGIS Geospatial Researcher

Institute For The Study Of War
01.2024 - Current
  • Collect, process and analyze open-source intelligence for conflicts in the Middle-East and in Ukraine.
  • Conduct spatial analysis of data to assess the control of terrain for actors across the Middle-East and Russian portfolios
  • Support daily crisis coverage through short- and long-term research projects and produce ISW's daily Assessed Control of Terrain maps for the Middle-East and Ukraine.
  • Received training for intelligence style briefs and analytical writing techniques based on ICD-203.

Academic Editor (Remote)

Cactus Communications
11.2021 - 04.2022
  • Corrected scientific manuscripts for factual accuracy and grammatical consistency.
  • Streamlined the publication process for authors by ensuring adherence to journal guidelines and formatting requirements.
  • Promoted effective communication between researchers by applying standardized terminology within interdisciplinary fields.

Project Coordinator

Menz Foundation
05.2021 - 09.2021
  • Collaborated with stakeholders in English and Nepali to define clear project goals, leading to consistent alignment with expectations throughout the process.
  • Managed budgets effectively, ensuring resource allocation was optimized for maximum project success.
  • Coordinated with team members throughout the Kathmandu Valley to distribute food rations to households worst affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

NGO Project Coordinator

World Action Fund
07.2019 - 01.2020
  • Led the implementation of two projects - recycling PET plastic bottles & distributing textbooks to more than 300 primary school children - in refugee settlements throughout the West Nile Region in coordination with the Kampala office.
  • Negotiated contracts with vendors and government officials, securing agreements and Memorandums of Understanding necessary for the projects' success.
  • Facilitated frequent progress reports and presentations to keep relevant local government officials and NGOs informed about ongoing activities within their respective domains.

Education

Master of Science - Conservation Biology

University of Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa
01.2020 - 12.2021

Master of Wildlife Management - Zoology

University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand
02.2018 - 06.2019

Bachelor of Science - Biological Sciences

Durham University
Durham, United Kingdom
10.2012 - 06.2016

Skills

    Technical writing

Presentation skills

Critical thinking

Research skills

Organizational skills

Publications

  • Thacker, T., Seddon, P., Van Heezik, Y., & McCormack, G. (2020). A myna problem: Alien species no obstacle to recovery for the Mangaia kingfisher. Oryx, 1-6. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000071

Software

Microsoft Office products

Adobe Creative Cloud products

GIS software - ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth Drive

R Programming Language

Timeline

ArcGIS Geospatial Researcher

Institute For The Study Of War
01.2024 - Current

Academic Editor (Remote)

Cactus Communications
11.2021 - 04.2022

Project Coordinator

Menz Foundation
05.2021 - 09.2021

Master of Science - Conservation Biology

University of Cape Town
01.2020 - 12.2021

NGO Project Coordinator

World Action Fund
07.2019 - 01.2020

Master of Wildlife Management - Zoology

University of Otago
02.2018 - 06.2019

Bachelor of Science - Biological Sciences

Durham University
10.2012 - 06.2016
Tom ThackerResearcher