Lauren Young is a Research Analyst in the Organised Crime and Policing team at RUSI with expertise in wildlife crime and conservation. She holds an MSc (Distinction) in Conservation and International Wildlife Trade from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, and a BA (Hons) in History from University College London.
Prior to joining RUSI, Lauren was an independent consultant working on organised environmental crime, primarily wildlife trafficking. Her previous research includes an investigation of new strategies for tackling cyber-enabled wildlife crime in the UK, the content development of e-crime tools for law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia, a strategic review of the South African Development Community’s (SADC) Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching (LEAP) strategy for USAID, and an economic analysis of illegal wildlife supply chains in Eastern and Southern Africa. In a voluntary capacity, she helps to manage and coordinate a conservation project in the Peruvian Amazon.
She has conducted research in UK, Eastern and Southern Africa, and South America.