Prior to pursuing my PhD at Harvard, I undertook an MPhil project at Cambridge University, studying the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. This spirited little beetle reproduces on carrion—a highly variable ecological resource—and exhibits complex (but varying) parental care of young. Recent work had shown that this species was sexually dimorphic in head size, and thus I investigated the ways this variation was expressed both within the species and across the broader Nicrophorus clade. This work gave me a greater appreciation for the use of insects as study systems—with their endlessly diverse forms and functions—beetles being the most abundant among them.

My current research interests lie in further understanding intra and interspecific variation, with a focus on how these differences relate to the niche of a species. The complex ecology and patterns of variation found in burying beetles were what drew me to them as a study system initially, and I am eager to continue exploring the diversity of behaviours and traits that are found among the wider beetle clade. Not only is investigating these ideas important for increasing our understanding of ecology, but I also believe that doing so may help us to preserve and promote the sometimes-fragile biodiversity associated with it. Conservation is a cause that is naturally very important to me, and so I am excited to hopefully contribute in some way towards it.