Hannah is aiming to understand and help improve the use of functional biodiversity within farm landscapes, to support both production and achieve conservation goals. Working with Huntapac as a commercial partner, Hannah’s project looks at reducing the pest pressure within Huntapac’s carrot fields using natural enemies. To achieve pest control and provide other ecosystem services, this PhD project will design and test bespoke plant mixes around the edge of fields. Pot experiments will expand carrot pests’ fundamental science and will support the establishment of field trials in Huntapac fields.

In 2017, Hannah graduated from the University of Warwick with an MSc degree in Environmental Bioscience (with Distinction), where her thesis project focused on studying carrot pests throughout the landscape. Her undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Bath included an industrial placement with the Field Studies Council in Scotland, which is where Hannah discovered her interest in scientific communication and public engagement.