Dr Alex Pigot (Principal Investigator) Senior Research Fellow
I obtained my PhD from Imperial College London and after stints at the University of Oxford and the University of Groningen, I took up a Royal Society Research fellowship at the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL.
I obtained my PhD from Imperial College London and after stints at the University of Oxford and the University of Groningen, I took up a Royal Society Research fellowship at the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL.
Rob Barber
Rob is studying for his PhD investigating the macroevolutionary dynamics of traits under natural and sexual selection across the global bird radiation. Rob's primary supervisor is Joseph Tobias (link) at Imperial College.
Rob is studying for his PhD investigating the macroevolutionary dynamics of traits under natural and sexual selection across the global bird radiation. Rob's primary supervisor is Joseph Tobias (link) at Imperial College.
Kat Blomberg
Kat is a NERC-DTP student investigating climate risks to seabirds across the UK. Kat's primary supervisor is Nathalie Pettorelli at IOZ
Kat is a NERC-DTP student investigating climate risks to seabirds across the UK. Kat's primary supervisor is Nathalie Pettorelli at IOZ
Dr Muyang Lu
Muyang is a Royal Society funded postdoctoral research fellow and working on our 'Tipping Points' project. Muyang's current research seeks to understand how species ecological niches and geographic distributions are structured across environmental gradients and how this influences the response of populations and communities to climate change . Muyang's research in collaboration with Richard Gregory, Cory Merow and Jon Bridle combines theoretical modelling and large-scale empirical analysis of historical changes in the distribution of species and ecological communities.
Muyang is a Royal Society funded postdoctoral research fellow and working on our 'Tipping Points' project. Muyang's current research seeks to understand how species ecological niches and geographic distributions are structured across environmental gradients and how this influences the response of populations and communities to climate change . Muyang's research in collaboration with Richard Gregory, Cory Merow and Jon Bridle combines theoretical modelling and large-scale empirical analysis of historical changes in the distribution of species and ecological communities.
Tanaya Nair
Tanaya is currently completing her MRes project investigating the spatial scaling of climate risks to biodiversity. Tanaya has broad interests in ecology and conservation but for this project her research seeks to understand how the risk of abrupt biodiversity loss depends on the spatial grain size at which climate change and biodiversity data is resolved. Watch this space for some exciting results!
Tanaya is currently completing her MRes project investigating the spatial scaling of climate risks to biodiversity. Tanaya has broad interests in ecology and conservation but for this project her research seeks to understand how the risk of abrupt biodiversity loss depends on the spatial grain size at which climate change and biodiversity data is resolved. Watch this space for some exciting results!
Alex Rabeau
Alex is a PhD student examining the resilience of ecological communities to climate change, by linking information on species climatic and trophic niches. Alex's primary supervisor is Joseph Tobias (link) at Imperial College.
Alex is a PhD student examining the resilience of ecological communities to climate change, by linking information on species climatic and trophic niches. Alex's primary supervisor is Joseph Tobias (link) at Imperial College.
Dr Joseph Williamson
Joe is a NERC funded postdoctoral research fellow funded by our 'Tipping Points' project. In collaboration with Rob Wilson, Ilya Maclean and Jon Bridle, Joe's research seeks to understand how the ability of individual organisms to exploit fine scale microclimate heterogeneity in space and time can buffer (or amplify) the risk of abrupt climate driven collapses of populations, species and ecosystems. Joe's research combines a mix of experimental, field and computational approaches and using butterflies as a model system.
Joe is a NERC funded postdoctoral research fellow funded by our 'Tipping Points' project. In collaboration with Rob Wilson, Ilya Maclean and Jon Bridle, Joe's research seeks to understand how the ability of individual organisms to exploit fine scale microclimate heterogeneity in space and time can buffer (or amplify) the risk of abrupt climate driven collapses of populations, species and ecosystems. Joe's research combines a mix of experimental, field and computational approaches and using butterflies as a model system.
Niloo
Niloo is a Maltipoo and the official lab mascot.
Niloo is a Maltipoo and the official lab mascot.
Former lab members
Julia Alexander: Julia worked as a research assistant in the group helping us to assemble data on the traits and composition of ecological communities.
Chloe Bentz: Cloe worked as a research assistant in the group assembling and analyzing a database on animal mass mortality events, part of an project with Marcus Lashley (link) and Carolina Baruzzi (link) at the University of Florida. Chloe is now undertaking her PhD at the University of South Australia.
Gino Brignoli: Gino conducted his PhD with Julia Day investigating how land use change influences avian functional diversity.
Martina Burgo: Martina completed her final year Msci project in our group, modelling risks to seagrass communities from marine heatwaves. Martina is now a PhD Candidate at ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (link).
Alex Cranston: Alex undertook his MRes project in our group, investigating the link between song evolution and rates of speciation in suboscine passerines. Alex is no doing his PhD at the University of Liverpool.
Dr Adrienne Etard: Adrienne completed her PhD in 2022 co-supervised in our group and is now a postdoctoral research at IIASA
Rebecca Lovell: Rebecca completed her final year Msci project in our group, modelling the spread of alien invasive birds. Rebecca started is now studying for her PhD with Ally Phillimore at the University of Edinburgh.
Muthoni Njuguna: Muthoni completed her MRes project in our group, investigating how multiple human global change drivers are interacting to cause mass mortality events in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Muthonia is currently Volunteer Research Assistant at WRTI
Dr Ingrid Olivares: Ingrid was a visiting research fellow in our group funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Her research aims to understand the ecological processes regulating species diversity in palms and ferns. Ingrid is now a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich.
Dr Bouwe Reijenga: Bouwe completed his Royal Society funded PhD in the lab in 2023 and is now a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Palaeobiology at the University of Oxford working with Dr Roger Close.
Dr Ferran Sayol: Ferran conducted his Marie Curie research fellowship in our group, testing how biophysical constraints shape the evolution of avian morphological diversity. Ferran is now Beatriu de Pinós Postdoctoral fellow at CREAF.
Connie Whiting: Connie undertook her MRes project in our group, testing he links between biodiversity and ecosystem function across avian communities. Connie is currently working in research post at UCL.
Jingyi Yang: Jingyi worked as a research assistant in the group leading the assembly of a database on responses of bird populations to heatwaves. Jingyi is now doing her PhD at Imperial College in the Tobias Lab.
Chloe Yuen: Chloe completed her MRes project in our group, developing models for predicting the distribution of animal mass mortality events in response to climate and land use change.
Julia Alexander: Julia worked as a research assistant in the group helping us to assemble data on the traits and composition of ecological communities.
Chloe Bentz: Cloe worked as a research assistant in the group assembling and analyzing a database on animal mass mortality events, part of an project with Marcus Lashley (link) and Carolina Baruzzi (link) at the University of Florida. Chloe is now undertaking her PhD at the University of South Australia.
Gino Brignoli: Gino conducted his PhD with Julia Day investigating how land use change influences avian functional diversity.
Martina Burgo: Martina completed her final year Msci project in our group, modelling risks to seagrass communities from marine heatwaves. Martina is now a PhD Candidate at ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (link).
Alex Cranston: Alex undertook his MRes project in our group, investigating the link between song evolution and rates of speciation in suboscine passerines. Alex is no doing his PhD at the University of Liverpool.
Dr Adrienne Etard: Adrienne completed her PhD in 2022 co-supervised in our group and is now a postdoctoral research at IIASA
Rebecca Lovell: Rebecca completed her final year Msci project in our group, modelling the spread of alien invasive birds. Rebecca started is now studying for her PhD with Ally Phillimore at the University of Edinburgh.
Muthoni Njuguna: Muthoni completed her MRes project in our group, investigating how multiple human global change drivers are interacting to cause mass mortality events in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Muthonia is currently Volunteer Research Assistant at WRTI
Dr Ingrid Olivares: Ingrid was a visiting research fellow in our group funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Her research aims to understand the ecological processes regulating species diversity in palms and ferns. Ingrid is now a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich.
Dr Bouwe Reijenga: Bouwe completed his Royal Society funded PhD in the lab in 2023 and is now a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Palaeobiology at the University of Oxford working with Dr Roger Close.
Dr Ferran Sayol: Ferran conducted his Marie Curie research fellowship in our group, testing how biophysical constraints shape the evolution of avian morphological diversity. Ferran is now Beatriu de Pinós Postdoctoral fellow at CREAF.
Connie Whiting: Connie undertook her MRes project in our group, testing he links between biodiversity and ecosystem function across avian communities. Connie is currently working in research post at UCL.
Jingyi Yang: Jingyi worked as a research assistant in the group leading the assembly of a database on responses of bird populations to heatwaves. Jingyi is now doing her PhD at Imperial College in the Tobias Lab.
Chloe Yuen: Chloe completed her MRes project in our group, developing models for predicting the distribution of animal mass mortality events in response to climate and land use change.
