The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Richard's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About Richard
I am Head of School ( Biological and Marine Sciences) and Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Intelligent and Sustainable Productive Systems.
I have two main areas of interest; genetic diversity and conservation. For most areas of my research, these two topics overlap in answering questions about the sustainability of species in ex-situ conservation or the management of wild populations. This overlap extends to sustainable agriculture and restorative farming, where species production can be improved while limiting negative local effects and potentially increasing biodiversity and ecosystem services. I am also interested in pure species conservation (especially of amphibians), in the links between conservation and local human communities, and in statistical genetics. I am very interested in experimental design and statistics and the application of novel methods of data analysis.
In general, I am interested in how genetic diversity within a species influences its diversity and evolution. Beyond this, diversity within a species can impact other species or even entire communities of species and the ecosystem services they provide.
Career history
2021 – Head of School (Biological and Marine Sciences), University of Plymouth
2016 – Professor of Conservation Genetics, Manchester Metropolitan University
2012 – Professor of Ecological Genetics, University of Manchester
2004 – Visiting Professor of Ecology, Grinnel College (USA)
1999 – Lecturer in Zoology and Genetics, University of Manchester
1997 – NSF (USA) Post Doctoral Scholar and NSERC (Canada) Research Fellow, University of Kentucky
1997 – PhD in Evolutionary Genetics; McGill University (Canada)
1990 – MSc in Population Genetics; Concordia University (Canada)
