Sophie O'Brien

Sophie O'Brien (née Hale) joined Motu Research as a research analyst in 2018, having completed a Masters degree in ecology and a Bachelor's degree in economics and biological sciences at the University of Canterbury.

At Motu Research, Sophie worked on a diverse range of topics, including the challenges and opportunities of native forestry on Māori land, a review of the economic instruments available for freshwater management in New Zealand and the drivers and consequences of parental leave decisions.

Sophie finished at Motu Research in 2021 to pursue a PhD in ecology at the University of Canterbury in collaboration with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. In 2025, she graduated with her PhD, supported by a Motu Doctoral Scholarship.

Since leaving Motu Research, she has also become a mother twice over.

Recently, research from her PhD was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a high-impact, top-tier interdisciplinary journal. This research explores how the use and spatial arrangement of landscapes – forests, grasslands, and croplands – affect the ecosystem services provided by mobile species, such as birds and butterflies.