Research outputs per year
Research outputs per year
Dr
I am a Senior Lecturer in in the School of Biological Sciences.
Module lead:
Lecturer
Research project supervisor
Tutor
I study the interactions between form, function, and environment to understand the physical basis for and constraints in evolution and development. In previous work, this has included traits-based approaches to large scale ecology questions, 3D morphometric approaches to understanding evolution and development in extant and extinct animals, and interdisciplinary approaches to environmental processes. I have two main study systems: evolution and development in modern and fossil birds, with a particular focus on skeletal microstructure, and the plant-soil continuum. In both cases, I am driven by making the invisible visible – bringing new insight to questions of adaptation in biology through visualisation and modelling of structures and processes that are usually difficult if not impossible to see. With a background in biology, a masters in anthropology, and a PhD in engineering and the environment, I also really enjoy bringing together ideas and approaches from different disciplines, particularly applying engineering approaches to biological questions.
For my PhD, I developed metrics for interpreting the age of fossil birds through studying the bone microstructural development of extant model species. I am now working on similar questions on the causes of intraskeletal variability in modern birds, including sexual dimorphism, developmental constraints, and biomechanical function. In these projects, I gather data from modern animals to make interpretations about animals we can no longer study in life.
In parallel, I am also interested in physical interactions between plants and their environments, largely in the context of developing more sustainable agricultural practices. This was work that I began through a post-doc position and have maintained and built on through established and new collaborations. In this work, I again focus on visualising adaptive and environmental processes, and collaborate with highly interdisciplinary teams.
In previous projects, I have studied how root morphology and soil properties influence a plants ability to take up phosphorus, how the properties of root exudates can influence soil hydraulics, and how plants defend against biofilms in the deadly plant disease Xylella fastidiosa.
I am currently working on a number of projects that come together to develop monitoring and analysis approaches for plant-soil imaging, with the aim of better understanding plant adaptations and responses to environmental challenges.
Initial projects in this area involve plant morphology and morphometrics, including developing new imaging techniques to allow gross morphological and cell-scale details to be visualised in 3 dimensions. For the current project, this will be linked with genetic studies on the evolution and development of nectar spurs in flower, and these techniques will later be applied to the more difficult system of roots growing in substrates.
My main technique expertise is in X-ray imaging, most often in synchrotron-based systems (beamlines at Diamond Light Source, Swiss Light Source, and ESRF). I have also used X-ray diffraction, light microscopy, microdialysis for chemical sampling, and often work with mathematicians and engineers to develop mathematical modelling approaches to explore processes in more detail. A new collaboration will be looking at monitoring soil microbiota using acoustic methods.
I am always open to applying innovative techniques to interesting problems and am keen to collaborate, particularly on interdisciplinary projects.
I supervise PhD students and undergraduate projects in the areas of skeletal biology and evolution, plant-soil interactions, and techniques in 3D imaging and quantitative morphological analysis.
PhD students (co-supervisor):
Abi Crane - The biology of Mesozoic birds. INSPIRE DTP.
The Sounds of Soil – understanding the relationships between soil structure, biodiversity and ecoacoustics – SoCoBio DTP (successfully funded for 2024 start)
External collaborations:
Internal collaborations:
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review