Meet Our Team
Jez Smith
Jez is Co-Director and Lead Tutor for the Data Analysis in R statistics courses. He has over 10 years of experience teaching data analysis to learners at every stage through his roles as a lecturer at the University of South Wales and as a professional statistical tutor.
Alongside teaching, Jez works as a Research Ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology, where he transforms complex ecological datasets into clear insights and meaningful reports that support conservation research and decision-making.
Jez is passionate about helping people build confidence in statistics and data analysis. He enjoys creating an engaging, supportive learning environment where participants develop practical skills, deepen their understanding, and leave feeling empowered to apply their knowledge in their own work.
Alex Wilson
Alex is managing director of Eco-explore, as well as being an ecological consultant, chair of Cardiff Bat Group and a member of Valleys and Monmouthshire Bat Groups, and all-round naturalist. She completed her PhD on visual constraints on bird behaviour in 2009 at Cardiff University, and before that she studied zoology at the University of Liverpool. Her favourite animal is the robin, which was the main species studied in her PhD. She is keen to explore how humans impact wildlife, in particular how artificial light at night can affect bats and invertebrates.
Rob Thomas
Rob is co-director of Eco-explore and a former lecturer at Cardiff University, specialising in bird behaviour, ecology and data analysis. Since January 2026 he has been Principal Conservation Scientist with RSPB Cymru, alongside roles with other Welsh conservation NGOs; Wild Cymru and Craig y Rhondda. He is a keen birdwatcher and goes birding almost every day – mainly at his local reservoirs – though he also enjoys exploring new habitats overseas.
Rob runs regular courses on data analysis and is lead author of our guidebook to “Data Analysis with R Statistical Software”. His favourite animal is the storm petrel; smallest of the Atlantic seabirds, which is the subject of Rob’s new book The Storm-petrels (Published by Bloomsbury - Poyser, 2024).
Jim Vafidis
Jim is co-director of Eco-explore as well as a coordinating lecturer for science and the environment at the Lifelong Learning division at Cardiff University.
Jim's work extends beyond academia, as he collaborates closely with conservation initiatives and develops tools for practitioners in monitoring and land management. Through this collaborative work, Jim bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and applied practice, ensuring that his expertise in spatial analysis and species survey significantly benefits land management and conservation strategies.