I am a DPhil student in the Department of Biology studying the role of dietary nutrition on host-gut parasite interactions. I am particularly interested in the interactions between pollinators like bees, and their gut parasites. I aim to better understand how gut parasites influence the nutrient intake of a host, how this impacts the parasite’s proliferation and the host’s physiology. The growing human population has increased the need for food security and put immense pressure on agriculture. This has had an unprecedented impact on the natural environment, resulting in losses of our wild pollinators. Floral resources in the environment have become less diverse, which alters the nutrients available to pollinators. Prior to my PhD studentship, I graduated with an MBiol from Newcastle University and carried out research at Oxford to understand the impact of changes in nutrient availability to honeybees and bumblebees, and how insecticides might impact pollinator success. In my free time I love to bake and go for walks in the countryside.
