Team

Dr Andrew Tanentzap Professor of Global Change Ecology is interested in predicting how ecosystems will respond to future environmental change.

Dr Yi Zhang Lab Manager coordinates the Ecology wet labs, supports research projects, and teaches undergraduate practicals.

Dr Jérémy Fonvielle Post Doctoral Research Associate studies the connections between dissolved organic matter and microbes in freshwaters.

Dr Lucas Braga Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow tests how viruses impact biogeochemical cycles, with a focus on ancient communities released into the environment by thawing permafrost.

Dr Lumbani Mwafulirwa Post Doctoral Research Associate is testing the environmental benefits of reducing application of nitrogen ferilisers in arable farming.

Dr Asun Rodríguez-Uña Newton International Fellow studies how biotic interactions above- and below-ground recover from human impacts in temperate forests over decadal to centennial time-scales.

Dr Thomas Scheuerl Post Doctoral Research Associate studies how bacterial communities assemble on different organic matter sources using experimental evolution approaches.

Dr Olesya Kolmakova Post Doctoral Research Associate is developing and applying new methods to track harmful pathogens using eDNA in Arctic waterways to support community-based monitoring.

Caroline Kemp Senior Laboratory Technician supports microbial evolution experiments, preparing media, culturing isolates, and running growth assays.

Samuel Woodman PhD student studies how forest disturbances alter land-water linkages with a foucs on biogeochemical cycles and food webs.

Erika Freeman PhD student studies how forestry influences organic matter mobilized into freshwater.

Anne Thomas PhD student studies how mountains generate biodiversity to inform the conservation of alpine plant life.

Danai Kontou PhD student studies how lake food webs are evolving in response to environmental change.

Sarah Sandor PhD student studies the genetic mechanisms underpinning how bacteria adapt to complex organic matter sources.
Dr Erik Emilson (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Dr Michelle Kalamandeen (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Rosie Power (MPhil student)
Amelia Fitch (MPhil student)
Dr Javier Igea (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Chloé Orland (PhD student)
Päivi Pirhonen (MPhil student)
Facilities
We are fortunate to occupy two homes across the Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute.

Wet Lab We offer a modern laboratory equipped for preparing samples for DNA sequencing and chemical analyses of solid and liquid samples. We are equipped with tools for ecosystem ecology measurements, such as greenhouse gas fluxes and in-situ algal productivity.

Office Space Housed in the David Attenborough Building with its magnificent 3-story living wall, we have access to high-performance computing clusters, modern meeting facilities and kitchens, and, importantly, constantly stocked coffee machines.

Our desks sit alongside other ecology and conservation groups in the Department of Plant Sciences and Zoology, offering opportunities for collaboration and support.