Roadies

Please allow us to introduce ourselves!

We're a team of enthusiastic young(-ish) researchers who are celebrating 100 years of the British Ecological Society by hosting a BES stall at music festivals over the summer.
We'll be doing fun, hands-on activities to engage festival-goers with ecology (and hopefully catch a few live acts along the way).

This blog will keep track of our progress as we develop our ideas, apply to festivals, test our activities and report on successes and screw-ups! Of course, we'll also be reporting from the festivals and posting photos, videos and competitions. 

We are (in alphabetical order):



Organising Roadies

Emma: I'm an ecosystem ecologist, which basically means I'm interested in everything, although I'm happiest working in forests. I'm also a dedicated tea-drinker, vegetarian, and a big fan of the BES. I enjoy good music, real ale, being outdoors, and randomly quoting Monty Python/ Douglas Adams.

Frazer: Roadie, filmmaker, Beatles fan and our resident bee expert, who is supposedly doing a PhD on subfossil non-biting midges in his spare time.









Helen: I’ve been taking science to fun places for over 12 years. You can find me knitting about neuroscience, busking with physics or making structures out of spaghetti and marshmallows. I now support the research community at Exeter with their public engagement activities.



Matt's diverse research interests span from plants and pollinator interactions to landscape ecology with the aim of understanding how environmental change affects wildlife. He is vegetarian, slightly obsessed by all sorts of music, loves outdoor pursuits and is committed to enthusing about all things ecological (especially bees).


Rick: is the Open University’s Champion for Public Engagement with Research. He is the academic lead on the university’s Catalyst project, with responsibilities for helping to shape strategic objectives for OU public engagement with research. Richard is advising the BES Roadies, and helping to support the training programme.

Sarah: I'm a PhD student at Imperial College London, studying soils, plants, microbes and how they interact in a changing climate.  Previously, I was OPAL Community Scientist and Science Outreach Project manager at the University of Nottingham. I love nature, veggies, real ale and cats.






Will: I’m a scientist interested in looking at the fossil record to explore past environmental and climate change. I'm passionate about my research and enjoy sharing my enthusiasm with others. I have previously been involved with the Milton Keynes Science Festival.





Festival Roadies

Alexe (Wychwood)I've been working in conservation for 10 years and I love creating imaginative ways to connect people with nature. As well as a passion for the environment and travelling, I enjoy experimenting with different arts and crafts.




Catherine (Green Man): When I’m not knitting, doing zumba or drinking red wine I’m doing my main passion, which is ecology and I am currently attempting to write up my PhD studying plant traits in hay meadows.



Hannah (Wychwood & Green Man): I like rainforests and insects and all things wild. My PhD research is based in the Brazilian Amazon where I study how dung beetle diversity influences seed dispersal (among other things). When I’m not stirring up poo in the jungle I may well be doing a spot of yoga, a silly dance, juggling, or climbing.


Holly (Imperial & Green Man): Once upon a time, I started out as a chemist, but these days I love to get involved with hands-on science of all kinds! During the day, I'm Communications Officer at the Academy of Medical Sciences, and in my spare time you'll probably find me at all kinds of science-y events, hiking or cooking veggie food.



Iain (Green Man): I’m a PhD student interested in plants, soils, water and pretty much all things muddy – so festivals are right up my street. When I’m not outside I enjoy cooking, cocktails and watching classic films.







Jules (Imperial & Big Nature Day): PhD student studying the odours attractive to flies, and is therefore something of a poo expert. She likes hiking, running, yoga, knitting and horrifying people with disgusting facts about insects.



Kate (Green Man): Oceanographer, feminist, rower, lover of mushrooms, toadstools and lady grey tea.  Loves fungi and enjoys spending time in fields.








Leanne (Green Man): I am a PhD student at The Open University studying the duration of volcanic eruptions. “Not very ecological!” I hear you shout, but I enjoy all types of science and have a soft spot for nature. Previously I worked as a learning volunteer at the Natural History Museum, London. I like volcanoes (obviously), travelling, cider, cats and a good cup of tea!




Peter (Larmer Tree): Pasty connoisseur who got into rocks and the environment from growing up damming streams and walking on cliffs in north Cornwall. Now I study volcanoes on Mars but still enjoy getting out in the sunshine.



Sarah D (Wychwood): I’m a research fellow and expert snail trainer at the University of Exeter. I work on learning and memory in mini beasts, and how this helps them cope with changes in their environment. I love to get out of the lab and chat with all sorts of people about ecology and the environment, very inspirational!

Sophie (Larmer Tree & Big Nature Day): Dancer, money-spider- magnet and PhD student at The Open University, where she spends a lot of time in the sterility of a clean trace-metal lab investigating the potential of chromium isotopes as a tracer of past ocean oxygenation.



Thea (Big Nature Day): Most of my time outside is on mountains or in forests (ideally). In the office, I'm currently a Project Developer and previously a Communications Manager for international NGO charities. I volunteer ecology and conservation all over the place, mostly with the BES. Graduating from a masters in Ecology, I now aim to hike, dive, bake and understand local species as much as possible. 


Tom (Green Man): I'm a PhD student currently immersed in peat bogs... sometimes quite literally. I love the outdoors, playing in it, climbing on it, and especially shouting about it (amicably). I've also been known to drink beer and play the drums.












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