What is your role within research?

I am the Principal Investigator at Keele for the 5-year Nature in your Neighbourhood project which runs from 2024-2028. Local residents in the Staffordshire Moorlands are being encouraged to transform areas to boost wildlife and mitigate climate change under the initiative, which is backed by a £752,514 grant from the Nature and Climate National Lottery Fund. Researchers and students at Keele will be directly involved in the project, receiving £235,103 to carry out surveys, run workshops, analyse data, produce a final report on the scheme's success and other activities. They will work alongside teams from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Moorlands Climate Action, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, OUTSIDE and Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services on the project. The partnership will support communities to develop relationships with landowners and work together to improve habitats across the area.

Can you tell us a bit about your role at Keele? What does a typical day look like for you?

I am a Lecturer in Environment and Sustainability and I teach across a wide variety of physical geography, environmental science and sustainability modules at all levels. A lot of my teaching involves fieldwork and laboratory techniques. I also run fieldtrips, both locally and internationally in the Alps.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy connecting students with real-world research-led teaching opportunities, such as those provided by the BioGain project on the Low Carbon Generation Park on campus.

What is your background? How did you first get involved in research?

I started out as a Countryside Ranger in local government, progressing into a wider environmental and sustainability role within that sector for many years. I have qualifications in garden design and forest schools and also ran my own business designing community gardens, planting community orchards and designing schemes for biodiversity benefit. I managed part of a national citizen science project focusing on pollinating insects and this has led to my involvement in the Nature in your Neighbourhood project, led by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.

Is your role at Keele your first involvement in research, or do you have previous experience in other roles?

This is my first formal research role, although BioGain started back in 2022.

Please tell us about research projects you are involved with.

• Nature in your Neighbourhood
• BioGain
• Environmental Storytelling in the Field (TIPS project)