Life on Earth is experiencing a rapid period of change. Human activities such as land-use, climate change, and over-exploitation are causing a significant restructuring of biodiversity worldwide, likely on the scale of a mass extinction. In parallel, the semiconductive properties of silicon and the scalability of the transistor have led to a revolution in computing, ushering in a new age of scientific progress. This computer revolution has enabled new tools and ways of thinking. For ecology, computers have significantly developed our understanding of ecosystems and global biodiversity change.
In my work I use computational models and data to investigate the causes and consequences of global biodiversity change. I have a broad interest in biodiversity modelling, ecological economics, ecosystem service risk projection (particularly crop pollination), digital metrics for monitoring human-nature interactions, evidence synthesis, the application and ethics of AI in research, and future thinking for biodiversity change prediction and solutions.
My current role is as Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Agroecology Research Group. Prior to my current role I led the development of the Species Awareness Index and the meta-analytic platform Dynameta; designed ensemble threat-response models for predicting global insect biodiversity change; built automated data-handling systems for CITES data; and was a contributing author on a No. 10 Cabinet Briefing on the reintroduction of behavioural interventions for COVID-19.
