Talking with people about trees – I am a science communicator, specialising in all things forests!

Social media is a vital tool for opening up conversations around science and is an area I have been particularly enthusiastic for since opening my first YouTube channel in 2011. These days I mostly work across Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and blog spaces to highlight fun facts and social issues. From running online and fully accessible conferences like #TropiCon21 (with an audience of over half a million accounts!) to taking over accounts like @RealScientists to originate the #LGBTQscience hashtag, I put an emphasis on bringing people together in their enjoyment of STEM subjects.

In the physical world, I give presentations to a wide range of audiences, from primary school children to university academics. To enable greater interactivity, I also develop and run activities for outreach events. At their best, I believe that communication activities should inspire just as much as they inform. Launched in Spring 2022, I developed the University of Leeds campus tree trail with a focus on accessibility so that everyone could learn about and enjoy the science behind their local plant life.

Before working in science communication professionally, I was a tropical forest ecologist. My research primarily focussed on the plants and habitat of South East Asia. My PhD in ecology from the University of Stirling researched the effects of logging and subsequent restoration efforts in Borneo and how these could alter recruitment into the tree community. During my Master’s degree, I researched the canopy epiphytes of Buton, Indonesia, which reinforced my lifelong love of climbing trees and reminded me that there’s often something very interesting in the places that people habitually forget to look!

Education:

PhD researcher in Ecology at the University of Stirling (2017-2021)

Masters Degree in Environmental Science (MEnv) at the University of York (2012-2016)

Employment:

Communication & Engagement officer at Leeds LEAF (2022-present)

Tutor at Tutorful (2019-2021)

Demonstrator and Teaching Assistant at the University of Stirling (2018-2021)

Lead Habitat Surveyor for Operation Wallacea at their Dominican research site (2017)

Habitat Surveyor and General Assistant for Operation Wallacea at their Indonesian research Site (2015)

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