Overview
After completing my MBiolSci in Zoology at the University of Sheffield, I took up a research assistant role at Cardiff University, helping a PhD student investigating the immune function of German cockroaches under coinfection with gregarines and nematodes. I was then employed on a ISSF population grant (Untangling intestinal schistosomiasis and malaria interactions using a longitudinal cohort study of mothers and pre-school children in Uganda) at Cardiff University. Here I investigated the interactions between malaria and schistosomiasis in ugandan preschool children and the comorbidities associated with coinfection. It was throughout this project I gained an interest in the ecology of trematodes and pursued a PhD in disease ecology.
Research
Research interests
- Disease ecology
- Community ecology
- Biocontrol and integrated disease management
Teaching
- PGR Demonstrator
Thesis
One man’s meat is another man’s poison: exploring the effect of mass drug administration against schistosomes on the aquatic food web
Parasites are an integral, but often under-recognised, component of aquatic ecosystems. Of particular interest are the parasitic worms trematodes, which have complex lifecycles, infecting molluscs before they infect a mammalian host, with free-living stages in between. Trematodes can make up a large proportion of biomass in aquatic systems and are likely important food sources for many aquatic animals. Perturbations against trematodes could therefore, have untold consequences on host populations, aquatic communities and the wider aquatic food web.
My research focusses on Liver fluke in UK livestock which has a significant economic impact on the agriculture industry. I will investigate the effect repeated perturbations – in the form of anthelmintic treatments - have on the aquatic food web. In particular, I will look at the effect on snail host populations, their competitors, and predators of the parasite and host snail. .
Funding source
NERC GW4 FRESH Centre for Doctoral Training
Supervisors
Publications
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