Globally, 20-40% of crops are lost to insects, pathogens and weeds. Novel solutions to combat these biotic threats and protect crop health are urgently required, but they need to be intertwined with soil health and agroecosystem health. This PhD project will address the need to understand the relationship between crops, soil and agroecosystems by exploring […]

This exciting PhD project will work at the cutting edge of mathematical and statistical sciences to deliver automatic insect pest detection. Whilst the focus is on developing and applying data science techniques, you will also seek to understand complementary disciplines in biomechanics, insect behaviour and phenology. You will develop a “digital twin” for the flight of insect […]

The Atacama Desert is the oldest and driest desert on earth. It is also one of the most hostile environments for microbial life on Earth due to its hyper arid moisture regime, thermal extremes, high concentrations of salt in the soil, and intense UV radiation at the soil surface.  Nevertheless, the Atacama Desert is not […]

Several iconic plant species that used to be common in cropped fields, including corncockle and corn marigold have dramatically decreased in frequency and abundance since the 1960s due to the intensification of agricultural production. In contrast, other species have remained common or even increased in abundance. Can we explain  the contrasting response of plant species […]