Professional summary

Emily's research involves applying spatial techniques to explore challenges facing ecology and the environment, particularly within sustainable agriculture. She contributes her expertise to a variety of projects, and has led research into estimating pesticide movement in catchment areas, and exploring spatial patterns in and predicting crop rotations. Emily regularly uses spatial data products such as the UKCEH Land Cover® plus: Crops maps and and other datasets derived from remote sensing imagery and field records to address research questions. Additionally, she lends her botanical skills to research into methods to control tor-grass and the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes. 

Emily has been at UKCEH since 2018, and in 2025 started a part-time PhD alongside her work with the University of Reading on modelling the impact of crop rotational diversity on agronomic and ecological resilience. She has previously worked in a variety of conservation science and ecology positions with the RSPB, Worcestershire Biological Records Centre, Forestry Commission and A Rocha Canada. She completed her MSc in Conservation Project Management at the University of Kent (2015) and her BSc in Biology with Conservation and Biodiversity at the University of Sheffield (2012). 

Selected publications

Jarvis Susan et al. , (2025), Positive impacts of agri‐environment schemes on butterflies from multiple evidence sources. Journal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70126

Upcott Emily V. et al. , (2025), Evaluation of an open-source nutrient delivery model for estimating pesticide loads in river catchments. Science of the Total Environment, 975, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179223

Ridding Lucy E. et al. , (2024), Practical methods for the control of tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum s.l.) and the restoration of calcareous grassland. Journal for Nature Conservation, 78, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2024.126566

Upcott Emily V. et al. , (2023), A new approach to characterising and predicting crop rotations using national-scale annual crop maps. Science of the Total Environment, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160471

Woodcock Ben A. et al. , (2022), Citizen science monitoring reveals links between honeybee health, pesticide exposure and seasonal availability of floral resources. Scientific Reports, 12, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18672-0

Jarvis S.G. et al. , (2021), Modelling Landscape-scale Species Response to Agri-Environment Schemes. https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=20552

Other Publications

Upcott Emily V. et al. (2024) Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus diet and hunting habitat selection in the breeding season: implications for lowland breeding waders. Bird Study 71(3), 201–215 https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2024.2363851

Mason Lucy R. et al. (2021) Experimental diversionary feeding of red kites Milvus milvus reduces chick predation and enhances breeding productivity of northern lapwings Vanellus vanellus. Journal for Nature Conservation 64: 126051 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126051