Professional summary

Emily's research involves applying spatial techniques to explore some of the challenges facing ecology, particularly within sustainable agriculture. She contributes her expertise to a variety of projects, and has led research into estimating pesticide movement in catchment areas, and exploring spatial patterns in and predicting crop rotations. Emily regularly uses spatial data products such as the UKCEH Land Cover® plus: Crops maps and and other datasets derived from remote sensing imagery, field records and verified historical sources to address different research questions. Additionally, she lends her botanical skills to research into methods to control tor-grass and the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes. 

Emily graduated with a BSc in Biology with Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Sheffield in 2012, before spending much of the next two years interning and working in conservation science at A Rocha Canada. This led her to study MSc Conservation Project Management at the University of Kent where she conducted her dissertation research with the RSPB, and then on to field-based conservation science and ecology jobs with the Forestry Commission, Worcestershire Biological Records Centre and RSPB. Emily joined UKCEH in 2018, where she has been working as a Spatial Ecologist. 

Selected publications

Ridding Lucy E. et al. , (2024), Practical methods for the control of tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum s.l.) and the restoration of calcareous grassland. Journal for Nature Conservation, 78, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2024.126566

Upcott Emily V. et al. , (2023), A new approach to characterising and predicting crop rotations using national-scale annual crop maps. Science of the Total Environment, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160471

Woodcock Ben A. et al. , (2022), Citizen science monitoring reveals links between honeybee health, pesticide exposure and seasonal availability of floral resources. Scientific Reports, 12, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18672-0

Jarvis S.G. et al. , (2021), Modelling Landscape-scale Species Response to Agri-Environment Schemes. https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=20552

Other Publications

Upcott Emily V. et al. (2024) Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus diet and hunting habitat selection in the breeding season: implications for lowland breeding waders. Bird Study 71(3), 201–215 https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2024.2363851

Mason Lucy R. et al. (2021) Experimental diversionary feeding of red kites Milvus milvus reduces chick predation and enhances breeding productivity of northern lapwings Vanellus vanellus. Journal for Nature Conservation 64: 126051 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126051