Science and consultancy

My science

Currently I’m working as an Applied Entomologist at Rothamsted research. My doctorate thesis was on Carabid beetles in sustainable agriculture, and farmer behaviours. I have a masters in Food security and global development, and an undergrad in Environmental conservation.

I write for multiple audiences, from scientific papers, technical articles, to public interest. The Farmland Carabid ID guide I produced has been widely praised by farmers and amateur entomologists - as a simplified guide for absolute beginners to identify key species that protect crops.

I consult on most aspects of insects in sustainable agriculture, and have been interviewed for podcasts, social media, and news articles - notable appearing in the Financial Times feature on insect declines.

Talks and workshops

My style is largely informal and engaging, for which I receive a lot of great feedback. My sessions at the Oxford Real Farming Conference and Groundswell were packed out, and talks for Rootstock and BASE’s Soil independence were highly praised.

I also run practical workshops on Carabid beetle and Dung beetle monitoring, working with groups such as agronomists and farm clusters. I also organise bioblitzes with entomological contacts, bring scientists and the public together, while recording species in areas of interest!

The power of seeing and demonstrating what beneficial insects do first hand is inestimable, and I am told time and time again the value of these interactions for capturing hearts and minds.

Examples

My scientific publications:

Using a multi-scale approach to examine the effects of field margins and landscape features on predatory carabid communities in crop fields https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880924002330

Communicating carabids: Engaging farmers to encourage uptake of integrated pest management https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ps.6878

Above- and below-ground assessment of carabid community responses to crop type and tillage https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/afe.12397

Species matter when considering landscape effects on carabid distributions https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880919302476

Swift sampling of farmland aerial invertebrates offers insights into foraging behaviour in an aerial insectivore https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wlb3.01294

My recorded talks:

Groundswell 2024 (regen ag event)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTlKlEpDA8o

Groundswell 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTsNRXIVqUk

Field studies council (public interest)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr-6kp-Fk54

Time to talk event (on farm talk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y1YdLU-sEY

Animations and guidance:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPMAAzkgSwpZ-nutgB5P7zRm_dverCezk