I am a Soil Ecologist (PhD in Soil Science) with a background in Entomology (MSc) and Biological Sciences (BSc). I apply interdisciplinary techniques to further our understanding on how soil organisms, from microbes to macrofauna, interact with each other and with biotic and abiotic factors.
The focus of my PhD research was on the impact of agricultural management practices on soil biological and physicochemical properties. The project belonged to the AgroCycle consortium, a Horizon 2020 research and innovation project addressing the circular economy of the agri-food sector. AgroCycle was a collaboration between 26 partners from the EU, China and Hong Kong, and encompassed various stakeholders from practitioners, academia to industry.
I am currently involved with ECOinsect Ltd in collaboration with Harper Adams University and University of Reading. We are looking into the scaling up potential of using Black Soldier Flies as animal feed and into the valorisation of byproducts that originate from insect rearing. My role relates to the latter, where I am responsible for the running of glasshouse trials that aim to better understand the response of crops and associated soil properties to byproducts.