About me

I started my PhD in January 2025, based at at Royal Holloway University of London and funded through their Social Purpose CDT. Before joining, I did an MSci degree in Zoology at the University of Bristol where I studied the effect of soil microclimate on invertebrate communities in a temperate rainforest for my Masters project. Here, I developed an interest in the biotic and abiotic influences on faunal communities within forest ecosystems.

My current research interests include: forest ecology, invertebrate community structure, science policy, ecoacoustics and environmental DNA (eDNA).

Current PhD project - Understanding wet woodland biodiversity in the UK

Wet woodlands are criticially understudied forest ecosystems in the UK and have the potential to harbour high levels of biodiversity, compared to other forests and wetlands. There is recent interest in using them as a nature-based solution to meet key UK policy targets of reversing species declines and increase woodland cover to 16.5% by 2050.

My PhD aims to adapt existing ecological methods to understand and evaluate the biodiversity value of wet woodlands, focussing on invertebrate and acoustic diversity, and discuss whether their re-establishment can provide biodiversity benefits, in a UK context. 

In 2026 I established 10 biodiversity monitoring plots in an Alnus glutinosa wet woodland site, where I am investigating:

a) Seasonal dynamics of invertebrate community structure and multi-taxa acoustic diversity

b) Plot-scale heterogeneity and habitat controls of invertebrate community structure and multi-taxa acoustic activity

Contact

My work aims to complement a growing body of research currently being conducted on UK wet woodlands, facilitated by the Wet Woodlands Research Network, which I am a member. I encourage anyone  with similar research interests to reach out and contact me by Email, LinkedIn or Bluesky for any future collaborations!