Dr Julia Casperd

A zoology graduate from the Dept of Biological Sciences, University of Dundee, I completed my PhD, which explored the evolution of post-conflict strategies in the Primate Order, under the supervision of Professor Robin Dunbar (Dept of Anthropology, UCL & Dept of Psychology, University of Liverpool). Following an extended career break, I returned to academia by upskilling which consisted of undertaking a Secondary Science PGCE (MMU) and working with the Field Studies Council at Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire mainly delivering Marine Biology field courses. In 2020 I took up a lectureship in Wildlife Conservation with University Centre Reaseheath where I was also involved in various committees including their ‘Field to Fork’ and the Energy and Water Sustainability Group. I am a second year zoology course tutor and lecture on the following BSc undergraduate degrees:  Wildlife Conservation, Zoology and Environmental Land Management.

As chair of the HAU Environmental Sustainability Land and Soil group my role is to facilitate multi-disciplinary research and establish impact case studies on environmental sustainability across departments and the Harper Adams Future Farm as it transitions to carbon Net Zero. I am also a member of a number the following research groups at Harper Adams University: Sustainable Agri Food Research, Soil and Water Management Research Group and the Soil Thematic Group of the Centre for Crop and Environmental Science (CCES). I am currently involved in establishing the Paludiculture Innovation Project to provide KE, teaching and research opportunities regarding the sustainable restoration of lowland peatlands for productivity, biodiversity and carbon.  

My research interests include: 1. Bird and mammal feeding and breeding ecology (in particular Pied Fly Catchers, Skuas; wading birds e.g curlew & lapwing; and primates, water vole and beavers); 2. Mechanisms of natural flood management and the ground truthing of NFM opportunities using geospatial data ; and 3. Sustainable agriculture: (i) the relationship between transitioning to Carbon Net Zero and biodiversity on farms; and (ii) productive methods of restoring lowland peatland on farmland (paludiculture) as part of a landscape mosaic optimised for biodiversity and (iii) monetisation of natural assets for blended finance. 

If you are interested in any of my research areas or getting involved in field work here at Harper Adams, there are various opportunties which you may attend. Please email me to be added to the Team: jcasperd@harper-adams.ac.uk 

Please see my Orcid profile for all of my publications and more information: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8628-4478 Recent publications will appear on my profile. 

You may follow me on Twitter: @jcasperd or LinkedIn (5) Julia Casperd | LinkedIn

• Breeding ecology of storm petrels - Researcher
• The relationship between on farm biodiversity and transitioning to Net Zero. - Co-I
• The role of hulled wheat in long-term landscape and ecosystem recovery. - Director of Study

• download document
• Casperd, J., Jeffery, S., Duff, R. (2022) Restoring Lowland Peatland for Biodiversity & Carbon Conference Proceedings