I am interested in how - and why - ecosystems respond to environmental change. I primarily use palaeoecological data including fossil pollen, chironomids, charcoal and dung fungal spores extracted from lake sediments, along with stable isotope geochemistry to reconstruct ecosystem dynamics over decadal to millennial timescales. Current work is focused on uncovering the impacts of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on terrestrial nitrogen cycling and plant productivity in terrestrial ecosystems, and the ecological consequences of Late Pleistocene large herbivore extinctions and range shifts in Eurasia. I welcome enquiries from DPhil candidates interested in using palaeoecological and/or dendroecological techniques and statistical modeling approaches to test hypotheses regarding the drivers and consequences of terrestrial ecosystem change. Students will be based in the Oxford Long Term Ecology Laboratory and will be encouraged to develop collaborations with potential supervisors in other Departments and partner organisations
