Prof David Aldridge

My work focuses on applied freshwater ecology, with a particular emphasis on bivalve molluscs. My particular interests are the conservation of rare species and threatened ecosystems, the biology and control of invasive species, and the use of biological processes to develop sustainable remediation and monitoring programmes for degraded waterbodies. A considerable part of my work involves collaboration with the water industry, government agencies and NGOs, and these collaborations provide a significant part of my research funding. While the end-points of my work often have important applications, my research is driven by an enthusiasm for addressing fundamental questions in pure biology and ecology.

I am director and co-founder of BioBullets Ltd., a company that has developed a novel and environmentally-friendly way of controlling some of the world’s biggest aquatic pests. I currently have collaborative projects running in Europe, North America, South America, Bangladesh and China. I am always open to taking on new members of the team, including M.Phil. students, Ph.D. students, PostDocs and other research visitors.

Key publications:

Aldridge DC, Moggridge GD, Elliott P (2006) Microencapsulated BioBullets for the control of biofouling zebra mussels. Environmental Science and Technology, 40, 975-979. https://doi: 10.1021/es050614+

Eerkes-Medrano D, Thompson RC, Aldridge DC (2015) Microplastics in freshwater systems: a review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs. Water Research 75, 63-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.02.012

Gallardo, B., Aldridge, DC (2015) Is Great Britain heading for a Ponto-Caspian Invasional Meltdown? Journal of Applied Ecology 52, 41-49  https://DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12348

Ricciardi A, Blackburn TM, Carlton JT, Dick JTA, Hulme PE, Iacarella JC, Jeschke JM, Liebhold AM, Lockwood JL, MacIsaac HJ, Pyšek P, Richardson DM, Ruiz GM, Simberloff D, Sutherland WJ, Wardle DA, Aldridge DC (2017) Invasion science: a horizon scan of emerging challenges and opportunities. Trends in Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2017.03.007

Sousa R, Gutierrez JL, Aldridge DC (2009) Non-indigenous invasive bivalves as ecosystem engineers. Biological Invasions, 11, 2367-2385. https://doi:10.1007/s10530-009-9422-7

Willer DF, Aldridge DC (2020) Sustainable bivalve farming can deliver food security in the tropics. Nature Food 1(7), 384-388. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-0116-8

Full list of publications