Dr. Bethan Purse

Bethan leads the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s Disease Ecology Group based at Wallingford. Her research is on the ecology of pests and pathogen systems and invasive species including impacts of environmental change drivers.

Her objective is to translate ecological understanding and models of pest and pathogen systems into guidelines and frameworks for disease risk management. Bethan uses state-of-the-art ecological and spatial modelling techniques, large scale environmental and ecological datasets and empirical field studies. Current research themes include: ecology and spread of emerging midge-borne and forest Phytophthora pathogens; landscape ecology of UK mosquito vectors; and, modelling pests as ecosystem disservices.