As a visual ecologist, I ask questions such as how an animal’s vision, cognition or appearance to other animals affects how they interact with their environment, and how this in turn affects their survival, behaviour, evolution or conservation. An Associate Professor, I’m based at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology & Conservation, in beautiful Cornwall.
As a core aspect of my work, I enjoy developing new models of animal vision that allow us to glimpse the world through animal eyes, or create new insights into how human vision works. I’ve developed a range of open-source tools and resources, including the micaToolbox for animal vision modelling, BehaveAI for quantifying animal behaviour from video, and a range of light measurement hardware & software solutions. I’m a strong believer in free and open-source scientific tools, and I make the things I build accessible to all, and champion open-source software.
Light pollution is increasingly recognised as a major source of pollution that’s affecting whole ecosystems. Our lab is actively researching these impacts in a range of systems, from birds and insects to isopods and worms. Where possible we use novel field experiments across a wide range of species so that our findings can be linked to potential biodiversity issues.
