Students and Graduates!

Nikita is a PhD candidate in Biology at Swansea University who submitted his PhD on the behaviour and ecology of predator interactions, and working at two field sites in sub-Saharan Africa to quantify the famous fight between mongooses and snakes. He also has his YouTube channel, Diary of the Adventurer and the podcast Baffling Biology.

Nikita explores how mongooses and snakes flip the food chain, why threat discrimination is context-driven, and what long-term field data reveal about venom resistance and group defence. Along the way, Nikita shares his thoughts on funding, field logistics, science communication, and making space for creative projects during a PhD.
• mutual predation between mongooses and snakes in Africa
• threat discrimination shaped by movement, learning and context
• venom resistance in mongooses and pup vulnerability
• group mobbing against pythons versus solo risk
• field sites, habituation and camera-trap ecosystems
• self-funding, teaching work and practical trade-offs
• Diary of the Adventurer and Baffling Biology platforms
• science without hype and avoiding dramatization
• choosing supervisors, writing early and skill-building

Follow his YouTube channel Diary of the Adventurer: http://www.youtube.com/@diaryoftheadventurer

Nikita's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikita-bedov-2a2019174/

Nikita's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikitaecras/

Baffling Biology: https://bafflingbiologypodcast.weebly.com/

Thank you all for tuning in, it has been a pleasure!