• 2020 – present Senior Research Associate, University of East Anglia (UEA). 
• 2018 – 2020 Senior Research Associate (0.4 FT), UEA.
• 2018 – 2019 Lecturer (fixed term teaching replacement, 0.6 FT), UEA.
• 2014 – 2017 Senior Research Associate, UEA. 
• 2012 – 2014 Research Ecologist, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
• 2012 – 2012 Senior Research Associate, UEA.
• 2007 – 2011 PhD, School of Biological Sciences, UEA. 
• 2005 – 2006 MRes, Environmental Biology, University of St Andrews.
• 1999 – 2003 BSc, University of Glasgow, Zoology.

My research interests are in understanding the demographic and environmental processes influencing the population dynamics of bird populations. Using national-level, long-term citizen science datasets I aim to assess drivers of population decline and identify conservation priorities in Europe’s Afro-Palaearctic migratory bird populations. Through this work I have developed close collaborations with scientists working on complementary projects at the BTO and RSPB. Together we aim to provide the evidence needed to correctly target conservation efforts and halt and reverse the declines in Afro-Palaearctic migrant species across their European breeding grounds.

My current research project uses long-term, Europe-wide citizen science data (PECBMS & EuroCES) for breeding bird communities to quantify:

1. The strength and scale of count and rate synchrony across Europe. (Hypothesis 1: Species are declining and/or show greater volatility in abundance in areas where they exhibit greater count and/or rate synchrony);
2. The spatial consistency of count and rate synchrony within species. (Hypothesis 2: The association between count and rate synchrony characteristics will differ for productivity and survival);
3. Temporal changes in the strength and scale of count and rate synchrony (Hypothesis 3: The association between count and rate synchrony characteristics will be consistent over time);
4. The contribution of ecological traits and environmental conditions to the spatial and temporal structure of count and rate synchrony. (Hypothesis 4: Community congruence will be stronger among species with more similar ecological traits, and those occurring in sites with more synchronous environmental conditions).

Main research projects

• 2020 - present 'Using population synchrony to target conservation action'. NERC funded with Dr Simon Butler, Prof Jenny Gill and Dr Rob Robinson (BTO).
• 2018 - 2021 'Bird population declines and species turnover are changing acoustic properties of spring soundscapes' with Dr Simon Butler.
• 2018 - 2020 'Analysis of territory density and habitat quaility of Breckland Forest SSSI Woodlark and Nightjar populations to inform a Habitat Regulations Assessment of novel sylviculture practices' Forestry Commission funded with Prof Paul Dolman.
• 2014 - 2017 'Seasonal interactions and rapid population declines in Afro-Palaearctic migratory birds'. NERC funded with Dr Simon Butler, Prof Jenny Gill, Jacquie Clark (BTO) and Dr Rob Robinson (BTO).
• 2012-2014 'Development of integrated population models to understand the drivers of population change in UK breeding birds' with Dr Rob Robinson (BTO) and Dr Stephen Baillie (BTO).
• 2007 – 2011 PhD 'Causes of population change in a long-distance migratory bird, the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)' NERC CASE funded supervised by Prof Jenny Gill, Jacquie Clark (BTO) and Dr Rob Robinson (BTO).

Research Supervision

• 2021 – present ‘Linking landscape structure to productivity and population change in migratory birds' (PhD; Sarah Binnie; co-supervisor with Dr Simon Butler, Prof Jenny Gill and Dr Rob Robinson (BTO).

Lecturing

• 2018 – 2019      Coordination and delivery of the MSc module ‘Statistics and Modelling for Scientists using R’ UEA.
• 2018 – 2019      Lecturer on the undergraduate modules, ‘Evolution, Behaviour and Ecology’ and ‘Evolutionary Biology’ UEA.

Internal training courses

2015 – 2019 Developed and delivered:

• ‘Getting started with R’
• ‘Making figures in R’
• ‘Linear models in R’
• ‘Intermediate R course’
• ‘Bayesian statistics and survival analysis’.