Profile

CV

• Education:

  I grew up in Sheffield, where I went to Clifford Primary School and then Hunters Bar School. I always loved animals and being outdoors. When my family moved to the Isles of Scilly, I went to Five Islands School for secondary school. Living on a tiny island meant I spent loads of time exploring beaches and rock pools, which made me even more curious about wildlife.

  For sixth form, I had to move to the mainland on my own, and I studied at Thomas Adams School in Wem. This was where I realised I wanted to study animals for real.

  I first went to Bangor University to do Marine Zoology, because I thought I wanted to work with sea animals. But I discovered it wasn’t the right fit for me, so I changed course and moved to the University of Chester, where I studied Animal Behaviour — and loved it. This helped me learn how scientists watch and understand how animals live their lives.

  Next, I did a Master’s degree in Primate Behaviour at Roehampton University in London. I learned lots about monkeys and apes, but I also realised something surprising… insects are even cooler, and much easier to study close to home!

  So I went to St Andrews University in Scotland to do a PhD on parasitoid wasps. I loved— doing experiments, asking lots of questions, and discovering things no one knew before.

• Qualifications:

  When I was at school, I did 10 GCSEs. After that, I took 4 AS levels and then carried on with 3 A levels for sixth form.

  At university, I first earned a BSc degree in Animal Behaviour, which means I learned how and why animals do the things they do. Then I studied for an MRes (Master’s) in Primate Behaviour, where I learned about monkeys and apes and how scientists study them.

  Finally, I did a PhD in Biology, which is a big research project that took several years. For my PhD, I studied tiny insects called parasitoid wasps and discovered new things about how they live and reproduce.

• Work History:

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  When I was younger, I didn’t start out in science at all. All through my teens and into my mid‑20s, I worked in bars, pubs, and hotels to help pay for school and university. I poured drinks, cleaned tables, checked people in, and learned how to stay calm even when everything was busy and noisy. I didn’t know it at the time, but these jobs taught me skills that scientists really need too — talking to people, working as part of a team, and keeping going even when things get stressful.

  After my PhD, I finally stepped properly into the world of science. My first big adventure took me all the way to the University of Minnesota in the USA, where I studied tiny insects called parasitoid wasps. These wasps lay their eggs inside other insects, and scientists can sometimes use them to help control pests. I worked with a species called Conura annulifera, which might help protect birds in the Galápagos Islands from a harmful fly. I learned how to carefully rear insects in the lab, how to work outdoors studying them in the wild, and how to test whether a wasp is safe to use in nature. It was exciting, important work, and it made me realise how much I enjoyed studying insects.

  Next, I moved back to the UK to work at the University of Exeter. Here I continued studying insects like bees and wasps, but this time I focused more on how they behave — how they sense their environment, how they make decisions, and how parents care for their young. I used microscopes to look closely at tiny body parts, ran experiments in the lab, and spent a lot of time outdoors watching insects go about their lives. I loved trying to understand their world from their point of view.

  After that, I travelled again — this time to the Netherlands, to work at Wageningen University & Research. My job here was to learn new DNA techniques so I could explore insect families in a different way. I created simple, low‑cost methods for figuring out who is related to whom, and even discovered “hidden sex” in an insect species people thought didn’t need males at all. It felt like solving tiny mysteries using clues written inside their DNA.

  Finally, I returned to Scotland and joined the University of Stirling for a fellowship that let me study how female insects choose their mates, and how those choices shape evolution.

  Now, I’m a Lecturer in Evolutionary Ecology and still in Stirling. I teach students about insects and evolution, run experiments, and keep discovering new things about how animals live and change. I also spend a lot of time sharing science with the public — doing funny science shows, making games for festivals, and writing silly songs about insects — because I want everyone to be able to join in and feel excited about the natural world.

• Current Job:

  I am a lecturer in evolutionary ecology. That means alongside my research on insects I teach undergraduate students about topics like evolution, animal behaviour and conservation. I also supervise students who are doing their own projects and teach them how to be researchers and scientists

• Employer:

  I work for the University of Stirling, in Scotland. My favourite thing about where I work is the beautiful campus, which overlooks a loch and you can see the mountains from my office.