Professional summary
Nick is interested in how biodiversity is distributed in space, how it is changing over time, and how we measure it. He leads a research team in the Biodiversity Science Area and has published over 100 papers in the peer-reviewed literature. His research uses theory and statistical models to address applied questions about the natural environment, focussing on four broad areas:
1) Quantitative methods for biodiversity science: Nick develops and tests methods for assessing biodiversity change from monitoring data. He describes biases in biodiversity datasets and build methods capable of mitigating them. He works with hierarchical Bayesian models for individual species, including occupancy-detection models and integrated distribution models, as well as for multispecies indicators.
2) Understanding biodiversity change: Nick quantifies long-term trends in biodiversity and tests hypotheses about the drivers of change. He is Principal Investigator of the NERC-funded GLiTRS (Global Insect Threat-Response Synthesis) consortium, which aims to create a global view on the status of insect populations.
3) Biodiversity projection modelling: Developing the principles for transparent models of biodiversity metrics under scenarios of future environmental change.
4) Evidence for Policy: working in partnership with government agencies to develop biodiversity indicators and targets, as well as to improve the evidence base provided by the biodiversity monitoring portfolio.
Nick is a member of the European Commission expert group on pollinating insects and the UK Government’s Department for the Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) biodiversity expert committee.