Research group
Research overview
I am botanist, plant ecologist and conservationist with an interest in the flora of tropical Africa, in particular West Africa. I work to describe and explain the distribution patterns shown by plant species, particularly globally rare species and locally useful plant species. Hotspots of such species constitute conservation priorities.
I combine fieldwork and plant identification with biogeographic, ecological, phylogenetic and modelling methods in order to document hotspots of plant biodiversity, and to understand how hotspots evolved and are maintained. My work describing hotspot patterns allows more informed land management decisions to be taken, helping to reconcile biodiversity conservation with economic development activities. I also enjoy botanising in the UK, teaching botany and local ecology, and undertaking local biodiversity conservation activities.
Biography
I joined the University of Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences with a Junior Research Fellowship from King's College, University of Cambridge. I carried out my DPhil research in Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford, following an MA in Environmental Studies at Brown University, USA, and a BA in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford.
