Dr Deepa Senapathi
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+44 (0) 118 378 4541
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Associate Professor of Applied Ecology
Head of Department of Sustainable Land Management
Areas of interest
My research focusses on the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystem services. To date I have worked in both tropical and temperate systems and assessed the effects of climate change and land-use change on avian populations and insect pollinator communities. I also work as knowledge exchange fellow with different stakeholder communities including policy makers, non-government organisations, delivery agencies and land managers with a view towards enhancing land management for biodiversity conservation and improving ecosystem services. More recently I have begun to explore ecological intensification within small holder communities to enhance biodiversity and improve livelihoods.
Specific areas of interest include:
- Exploring interactions between drivers of biodiversity loss including climate and land use change impacts.
- Conservation of threatened and endangered species and populations
- Ecological intensification to enhance biodiversity and improve livelihoods
- Knowledge Exchange to facilitate link between research and practical conservation
- Science-Policy dialogue to ensure existing and emerging policy is informed by up to date scientific evidence
Postgraduate supervision
PhD Students:
- Fathema Rana – Quantifying the impact of extreme events on bees and butterflies in the UK 2023 – 2027 (Scenarios DTP)
- George Allen – Reconstructing bee communities - the role of national parks in supporting pollination ecosystem services 2023 – 2027 (Pollinis, co-supervisor)
- Megan Sherlock – Modelling the impact of planting choices and management on the delivery of multiple ecosystem services by domestic gardens 2023 – 2027 (Scenarios DTP, co-supervisor)
- Aditya Chelmaya – Conservation prioritization of South Asian bats 2021-2024 (University of Reading international studentship, co-supervisor)
- Sophie Cunnington - Impacts of Farming Practice on Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) Populations in Lowland England 2021-2026 (University of Reading Bursary)
- Laura Reeves - Climate driven mismatches in fruit pest and natural enemy phenology to mitigate crop damage 2020-2024 (Waitrose CTP)
- Chris Wyver: Spatio-Temporal Responses of British Wild Bees and Fruit Trees to Climate Change 2019-2024 (Waitrose CTP)
- Theresa Robinson: Population ecology of the endangered endemic Mauritius Fody 2016-2024 (University of Reading Bursary)
- Elena Cini: New tools for improving Bee Health - 2018-2022 (EU H2020 - PoshBee, co-supervisor)
- Alice Haughan: Exploring the interaction between climate and land use change and the resulting impact on ecosystems - 2017 -2021 (QMEE CDT)
- Kelly Jowett: Modelling landscape quality and configuration effects on natural enemy communities and the provision of pest regulation services - 2017-2021 (Rothamsted-Reading Alliance)
Teaching
I regularly act as guest lecturer and dissertation supervisor for several postgraduate and undergraduate modules including
- GVMRP - MSc Research Project
- APMA112 - Issues in Agriculture and the Environment
- AP3AE75 - Wildlife and Farming
- AP3A81 - BSc Dissertation
- AP2A59 – Nature Conservation
- AP1A30 – Agricultural Research Skills
- AP0AE1 - Foundation Programme: Environment, Ecology and Sustainability
- ISLI - International Study and Language Institute's Pre-sessional English Programme
Research centres and groups
Department of Sustainable Land Management
Research projects
- WildPosh – A project aiming to better evaluate the risk to wild #pollinators of pesticide exposure, enhancing their health & pollination services (EU Horizon Europe 2024-2028)
- RestPoll - Restoring pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes (EU Horizon Europe 2023-2027)
- MAMBO – Modern Approaches to Monitoring of BiOdiversity (EU Horizon Europe 2022-2026)
- Safeguard - Safeguarding European wild pollinators (EU H2020 2021-2025)
- FoodSEqual – Food Systems Equality (Transforming UK Food Systems 2021-2025)
- TROPICAL - Translating Research Opportunities to enhance Pollination benefits to economically Important Crops And improve Livelihoods (GCRF BBSRC NERC 2020-2022)
- NERC Knowledge Fellowship - Working together to add value: Enhancing land management for biodiversity and multiple ecosystem services (UKRI NERC 2019- 2022)
- SUPER Farm India - SUstainable farming through effective Pollination and pEst Regulation in India (University of Reading GCRF 2019-2021)
- PoshBee - Pan-European assessment, monitoring, and mitigation of stressors on the health of bees (EU H2020 2018-2023)
- SUPER-B - Sustainable Pollination in Europe (EU COST Action, 2014-2018)
- LIBERATION - Linking farmland biodiversity to ecosystem services for effective ecofunctional intensification (EU FP7 2014-2017)
- NERC Knowledge Exchange Impact Accelerator Fellowship - Role of biodiversity in improving and enhancing human health and well-being (2014-2015)
Professional bodies/affiliations
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Bumblebee Conservation Trust – Scientific Trustee
- A Rocha International - Conservation Science Advisory Council
- British Ecological Society – Member, personnel committee & former Policy Fellow
- BBSRC – Pool of experts
- NERC – Peer review college
- University of Reading Athena Swan SAT 2019
- Athena Swan SAT. School of Biological Sciences - Co-chair - 2016
- Ecological Entomology - Associate Editor
- Walker Institute - Ambassador