Alanna was featured as an on-screen scientist in BBC One’s adventure-wildlife series Lost Land of the Volcano, first aired in September 2009. She appeared alongside presenter and entomologist Dr George McGavin, showing off some of Papua New Guinea’s beautiful and unusual bat species.
Working at that time on her PhD research into the evolution of echolocation calls in bats, Alanna was able to capture a dozen or so species of bats to record their ultrasonic calls. She encountered several bats that were previously unknown to science.
Alanna also spent time interviewing local women about their daily lives. A profile of one of the women, Sotopeia Wofu, accompanied by a stunning image taken by photographer Ulla Lohmann, appeared in the Sunday Times Magazine’s Life in a Day feature in 2010 .
Find out more about the expedition here