Dr Moya Burns

Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science

Tel: +44 (0)116 252 3715

Twitter: @MoyaLBurns

Qualifications

BSc Ecological Sciences (Ecology), Edinburgh

DPhil (Zoology), Oxford

Background

I studied Ecological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, including a year abroad at the University of Queensland, Australia, focusing on tropical ecology. This was followed by several years as an ecologist in the private, government and charity sectors. My DPhil with Community Ecology Research Oxford (CERO) used insect food webs to investigate the impact of anthropogenic changes on ecosystem structure and functioning. This was followed by a post-doctoral position with Operation Wallacea in Peru undertaking long-term monitoring of species responses to climate change. I began my lecturing career as an Associate Lecturer in Statistics at Birkbeck, University of London in 2015 before joining the University of Leicester in 2016.

Research

My research is focused on how anthropogenic change impacts food webs and ecosystem functioning, primarily with invertebrates and bats as study groups.

I am interested in how climate change can affect saproxylic invertebrates and their role in the global carbon cycle, working on experiments in this field in the Peruvian Amazon with Operation Wallacea and FundAmazonia, as well as in the UK at the BIFoR FACE (Birmingham Institute of Forest Research Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) facility.

Locally, I collaborate with Leicester City Council and Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) to investigate how biodiversity in the city of Leicester can be increased by creating wildflowers on roadside verges for pollinating insects (The Leicester Bee Road project).

I research the pedagogy of field teaching, how it can benefit students and how these benefits may be enhanced through the inclusion of citizen science approaches. I also work with the University Social Impact Team on the Leicester University “Living Lab”, a partnership between students, academics and professionals working together on collaborative research projects to address real life sustainability issues and improve the campus environment.

Teaching

I convene courses in conservation biology, behavioural ecology, subtropical ecology and statistics. I teach across Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences and Geography. I am programme lead for the Natural Sciences Zoological and Ecological Science stream.