Profile

I grew up in Berkshire and was the first in my family to go to university. I studied a BSc in cognitive science and then an MSc in bioinformatics but I didn’t feel I wanted a career in either of these areas. Then I discovered forensic entomology (the application of insect evidence to forensic investigation) and felt I’d found my place in life. I went on to study a PhD in forensic entomology, complete a post-doctoral position and take on a lecturer position.

I’ve always loved the outdoors and the natural world, which is why I enjoy my gardening, walking and travelling so much. I’ve been to lots of places in Europe, Asia and North America/Canada but I have many more on my list. Visiting other countries has helped me gain a better perspective of our world and reinforced my drive to live a more eco-friendly life.

I always had pets growing up and over the years these have included hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, fish and rats! We currently have two cats, Gimli and his Mum, Mouse (yes, it can cause some confusion!) which really make our house a home. Mouse was pregnant when we rescued her and 3 days later had 4 beautiful kittens,. It was an amazing time watching them grow but were glad we found them all homes as it got pretty crazy with them all in the house! We kept Gimli, my parents took Alfie and my friend took Luna and Zana. My children are now 7 and 10 years old so we are discussing what kind of pet they would like to add to the family.

In my job as a university lecturer I teach students from level 3 (Foundation year) to level 7 (postgraduate level), I supervise student research projects, write and mark assessments and am an academic tutor for around 30 students each year where my role is to help guide them through their time at university. My teaching is quite varied and includes giving lectures in classrooms, conducting practical workshops in the laboratory or teaching practical work in the field. The subjects I teach are medical and veterinary entomology, forensic entomology, botany, microbiology, taphonomy and basic soil analysis. I also teach some research skills, molecular biology and crime scene investigation.

My research interests centre around using insects in calculations to determine a time since death. This includes field work and laboratory work. I publish the results from my research experiments in relevant journals and present at conferences as much as I can. I am very lucky and have been able to present in lots of different places including North America, Sweden, Italy, Germany, France and China as well as numerous places in the UK.

I work closely with our local crime scene units where I deliver workshops on insect collection and forensic entomology but have also travelled to other parts of the country to deliver similar training.

I also work with local Environmental Health Officers to determine sources of nuisance flies and give advise on how to control them.

Here are some examples of the type of day I might work:

If  I’m going to be teaching then I head up to campus and deliver my session(s). If I’m teaching all day, I’ll grab a quick lunch in the staff kitchen with whichever colleagues are around.

If I’m not teaching I will work from home (we don’t have a dedicated office anymore after the covid pandemic so all my books are at home) which could involve answering emails, participating in Teams meetings, writing lectures/workshops/assessments, marking or writing research papers, conference talks or consultancy reports.