Academic Staff

My teaching strongly reflects both my multidisciplinary research interests as well as my commitment to shaping and influencing curriculum development within the department. Furthermore, I have an excellent overview of the curriculum, teaching at all levels, including on almost all of the modules that are compulsory for Biology (BG) for which I am the subject coordinator, as well as supervision of undergraduate research projects. 

Modules taught

Undergraduate Teaching

Level 4: U14501 (Biodiversity; lectures), U14502 (Biology of Cells; practicals), and U15503 (Science in Practice; PASS tutorials)

Level 5: U15529 (Research Methods for Biological and Environmental Sciences; seminars), U15531 (Molecular Biology; lectures), U15532 (Genetics; lectures and practicals), U15534 (Developmental Biology; lectures and seminars), and U15552 (Animal Behaviour; lectures)

Level 6: U15571 (Evolution and Animal Development; module leader; lectures, practicals and all marking), U15584 (Environmental Change; lectures, mentoring NERC grant application proposals, and student seminars), U15570 (Science and Humanity; ran discussion sessions), U14699 (Projects; statistics training session and supervision of project students), U14588 (Independent Study in Life Sciences; supervision of students), and U15591 (Advanced Topics in Wildlife Conservation).

Supervision

Postgraduate Teaching and Supervision

P10201 (Taxonomy and Identification; lectures), P10202 (Ecology for Conservation; lectures), P10299 (Research Project 60 credits; supervision of research projects); P10401 (Research Methods; Module leader; lectures, practicals and seminars),P10403 (Molecular Ecology and Population Genetics; lectures), P10405 (Research Project 120 credits; supervision of students), and P10501 (Research Project on the MBiol Biology 80 credits;Module leader).

PhD student supervision (as first supervisor):

Current

• Luca Livraghi (PhD)
• Nora Braak (PhD)
• April Duncan (Masters)

Alumni

• Dr Jean-Michel Carter (currently postdoc at the University of Bath; https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jean-Michel_Carter)
• Luke Evans (Masters; currently doing a PhD at the University of Reading)

Much of life history theory has been developed without regard to the actual developmental genetic basis of the variation in the traits being investigated. My research aims, however, to achieve a synthesis of life history models with developmental genetic models of evolution. In particular, the main research strand in my lab is to investigate: how do mothers produce eggs and regulate the development of their offspring under different environmental conditions, and what is the significance of transgenerational effects. Aspects of offspring development investigated include embryonic body axes formation, extra-embryonic tissue specification, formation and functionality, growth, reproduction and wing morphology. The approach taken in my lab is highly multidisciplinary, integrating ecology, evolution and developmental biology.

I use butterflies as my main model system, in particular the Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria).  

Research group membership

Butterfly Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology

Within larger research groupings of:

• Molecular Cell and Development Biology - Developmental Biology

• Evolution Ecology Environment and Conservation - Biodiversity and Evolution

• Evolution Ecology Environment and Conservation - Evolutionary Genetics

Research Group Lab Members

Current

• Luca Livraghi (PhD)
• Nora Braak (PhD)
• Dr Sebastian Kittelmann (Postdoc)

Alumnus

• Dr Jean-Michel Carter (currently postdoc at the University of Bath)

Research grants and awards

Research projects

• The evolution of Shx genes
• The formation and functioning of the butterfly serosa
• The effects of drought on butterfly development
• The effects of viral infections on butterfly wing development
• Dorsal-ventral patterning in butterflies

Collaborations

Nationally

• University of Oxford: Prof Peter Holland, and various members of his research group on individual projects relating to butterfly genomics and evolution of Shx genes (co-supervisor for Luca Livraghi)
• University of Cambridge: Prof Paul Brakefield and Dr Oskar Brattstrom
• CEH, Wallingford: Dr Melanie Gibbs (Pararge aegeria development and maternal effects)(co-supervisor for Luca Livraghi and Nora Braak)
• Oxford Brookes University: Dr Andy Jones (effects of pesticides on butterflies)
• University of Reading: Drs Tom Oliver and Richard Walters, and their PhD-student Luke Evans (butterfly responses to climate change)
• University of Exeter: Dr Ben Longdon (butterfly RNA viruses)

Internationally

• Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC-UPF, Barcelona: Drs Leonardo Dapporto and Roger Vila, and their group members (biogeography of Pararge aegeria)
• University of New Orleans: Dr Simon Lailvaux (butterfly flight performance under drought conditions)
• Université catholique de Louvain: Prof Hans van Dyck (Pararge aegeria evolutionary ecology)
• George Washington University: Dr Arnaud Martin (the role of WntA in butterfly wing patterning)
• University of Cologne: Prof Siegfried Roth (embryonic axis formation in butterflies)

Further information

Research and academic profiles: Researchgate and LinkedIn

ResearcherID is N-6582-2013 (linked to Orcid)

Areas of expertise

Expertise in evolutionary developmental biology, in particular where it pertains Lepidoptera.

• Reviewer for the following journals: Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Evolution, Genetics, Genetica, PLOS ONE, BMC Genomics, BMC Evolutionary Biology, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B, Belgian Journal of Zoology, Animal Behaviour, Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, Open Biology, Zootaxa, Experimental Gerontology, Oikos, American Naturalist, Heredity, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Journal of Experimental Biology, Journal of Negative Results in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Reviewer for textbooks published by Oxford University Press

Membership of professional bodies

• Academic Editor for PLOS ONE
• Current Membership: Butterfly Conservation, British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB), and Genetics Society.
• Past Membership: European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB), and Euro Evo Devo (EED)

Further information

• Research Knowledge and Exchange Committee (RKEC) member since 2011
• Faculty Mitigating Circumstances Panel member since 2014

Other publicity

Public Awareness and Outreach Activities

• Science Bazaar – yearly event where I run the “Become an Egghead” activity.
• The ABC of Amazing Butterfly Colours (Oxfordshire Science Festival during National Science week)
• Talks at local schools and presentations at nurseries
• Oxford Festival of Nature 2016
• Social media such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs
• Invited Presentations at Upper Thames Branch annual members day of Butterfly Conservation as well as a national Butterfly Conservation meeting in 2016

Further information

Butterfly Tennis Balls!

https://www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-media/blogs/butterfly-tennis-balls