David is passionate about science and nature. He has studied a range of ecology linked fields pursuing invasion biology and ecology for his BSc Hons with the Wossler group. Here he assessed resource preference at the invasion front of the invasive Argentine ant. For his MSc David studied theoretical ecology and invasion biology, working on spatial sorting of dispersal traits in European starlings in South Africa and Australia, under the supervision of theoretical ecologist Prof. Cang Hui. When not working on his own research David has been found wading in estuaries helping his wife with her fieldwork in Marine ecology. David regularly makes himself available to help with undergraduate courses, tutoring and demonstrating, or assisting fieldwork of fellow researchers. He has a passion for Scientific communication, enjoying sharing his work with scientists and non-scientists alike, sometimes against their will. When not researching David is an avid fantasy fiction consumer. 

 

For his PhD David is assessing the development of 'Social Immunity' across the Eusocial continuum. He will be exploring a suite of behavioural traits in multiple ant colony structures. Furthermore David will be exploring how Social immunity affects epidemiology through the mathematical modelling of pathogen spread through ant colonies.