Lael Walsh: Rurban Researcher in Ecology and Business at Lancaster University
Who are you?
My Instagram profile sums me up best ‘Loves science, life and nature’.
How did you get in to this work?
First, I had a vision to learn and educate myself. I studied for a BSc, two MSc degrees (one in business) and a PhD. Biology and nature have always fascinated me, and food research combines these two interests. Second, I actively resist being pigeonholed. I enjoy learning and gathering skills across different disciplines. This is a chance to generate exciting ideas and identify challenges from different perspectives. Third, I worked in between studying. This meant it has taken me 13 years from my undergraduate degree to my PhD, but has also meant I was able to figure out what I want to do with my life along the way and make choices I am happy with.
What do you think the outcomes of the Rurban Revolution research might be?
- Evidence of the potential for urban agriculture to contribute meaningfully to our food system.
- Indications of the role urban growing can play in our health and wellbeing.
- An effective research team and collaborations that will last beyond the Rurban Revolution Project.
- A blueprint on how effective interdisciplinary collaboration should be structured, and hopefully evidence that research councils should be putting more funding into projects like this, which bring together motivated and passionate trained researchers to deliver effectively and efficiently.
What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever done as a food systems researcher?
I raised insects (aphids specifically) in order to study their genome and proteome, and better understand how they adapt to plant protective compounds that we use to kill them. In this way, I could figure out how to tackle insecticide resistance. This was important work because aphids are one of our foremost crop pests and contribute to significant crop (food) losses worldwide.