My research interests center on conservation of wild and agricultural biodiversity. A major focus is understanding what drives the evolution and distribution of global agrobiodiversity patterns, and how agricultural needs trade off against wild biodiversity conservation. This ranges from population genetic and ecological modelling approaches through to landscape conservation interventions and impact evaluation. My geographic focus is currently Ethiopia, Madagascar and Oman where I have long running collaborations. Current active projects include evaluating genetic bottlenecks in forest restoration programmes; understanding the domestication history and subsequent diversification of clonal crops in the Ethiopian Highlands; evaluating Payments for Agrobiodiversity Conservation Schemes for Ethiopian farmers; and evaluating the impact of conservation interventions on the joint goals of biodiversity, poverty and climate in Madagascar.Our research has a track record of securing £13.8m over the past four years, from diverse sources including BBSRC, EPSRC, NERC, Defra, GCBC and GCRF.

Developing an independent research programme in plant health and adaptation, food security and ecological modelling.

I developed and wrote a series of grants to investigate patterns of local adaptation and how to apply these as nature-based solutions under climate change.

Focal PDRA for a project entitled ‘Modelling and genomics resources to enhance exploitation of the sustainable and diverse Ethiopian starch crop Enset and support livelihoods’. Focusing on ensemble environmental modelling, genome-wide tGBS sequencing and large-scale field phenotyping across hundreds of landraces.

Ecological genomics for the conservation of Dwarf Birch (Betula nana) in Scotland.Project Summary: The persistence of woody plant populations faces numerous environmental challenges, including climate change, hybridisation and population fragmentation. Here I explore the genomic signatures and relative importance of these pressures in Dwarf Birch (Betula nana), which has declined significantly over the last century across the Scottish Highlands. Firstly, I find that future climate is likely to result in a significant range reduction and that relict populations are likely to display reduced fitness. Secondly, I show that combining multiple mutation rate markers yields more accurate estimates of demographic history and the impact of fragmentation. I develop a novel method to derive high mutation rate markers from short sequencing reads, to facilitate more widespread application. Thirdly, I assess the degree of local adaptation, and find evidence for an adaptation lag in UK B. nana populations. Furthermore, the data yields little evidence of adaptive introgression from the related tree B. pubescens, suggesting that this may not be an alternative route to climate tolerance. Finally, I consider options for the conservation and management of B. nana, including assisted gene flow and prioritization of in situ genetic diversity.

A three month NERC funded policy position at the Royal Society of Biology, working mainly as part of the Natural Capital Initiative and contributing to DEFRA work programmes.I specifically focused on researching the current UK technology and capability for monitoring key environmental assets such as soil or water quality using traditional (such as field surveys) and modern (satellite/UAV/drone) methodologies. In addition I coordinated, collated and prioritized information on current UK-wide monitoring schemes for DEFRA.The aim is to embed Natural Capital in national accounts to ensure better management of resources and to ensure quality and quantity of derived ecosystem services.