Professional summary
Research Interests
I am primarily interested in the relationship between plant viruses, the host plant and their insect vectors.
Initially I worked on the incidence of viruses in wild brassica populations around the UK and their effect of plant survival, fecundity and changes in the host plant genotype. I then worked on the interactions between viruses within the same host plant; carrot red leaf virus and carrot mottle virus in carrots, and cereal yellow dwarf virus and cocksfoot streak virus in wild cocksfoot grass. My early work looked at the risk of virus resistant transgene escape and the risk to the wild brassica community; more recently I have studied the presence of viruses in trees in Oxfordshire, and estaurine habitats in north Wales.
In 2013 I took over co-management of the ECN site at Wytham Woods, and am currently involved in a wide range of enviromental analyses, including monitoring of water, air and soil quality, along with vegetation, tree, invertebrate and bat surveys.
Brief CV
1998-present: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
1992-1998: Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee
1991: Scottish Agricultural College, Auchincruive, Ayr
1990-1991: Queens University, Belfast
Qualifications
1998: PhD Aphid vectors of potato virus Y
1992: BSc (Hons) Applied Biology
1989: HND Applied Biological Sciences
1998: PhD Aphid vectors of potato virus Y
1992: BSc (Hons) Applied Biology
1989: HND Applied Biological Sciences