A big welcome to new lab members Sian (PhD) and Emily (Integrated Masters)!
Also huge congratulations to Shane, Lucy and Kester who all gained Distinctions in their research projects, well done folks!
The Traits Lab has an opening for a postdoc studying how ants coexist in the Cederberg mountains of South Africa. Check out the opportunities page for more information.
2024-07-12
We recently hosted the British Ecological Society's Macroecology Special Interest Group annual meeting in Cardiff!
Loads of great talks, and proud supervisor moment for Tom as Sophie presented a talk while Kester and Lucy presented posters! Well done gang!
Sophie presenting her work.
Kester with his poster
Lucy with her poster
Lily Leahy visiting from Australia, Tom, Lucy, Sophie, and Kester
Charlene and Tom, alongside Andrew Davies and Rebecca Senior, have recently been awarded Human Frontier Science Programme funding to explore the mechanisms of social insect species coexistence in the South African fynbos/karoo ecosystems. Really exciting! Watch this space for some wine farm related field sites...
Mark and Tom enjoying the sunshine (!) in the Sani Pass.
Caswell and Tom with their shared wardrobe in Pietermaritzburg.
Charlene and Tom in the Cederberg mountains.
2024-07-17
Tom caught up with old friends and collaborators at a writing retreat in Bristol. Empires of the ants and Sri Lankan food....
Kate Parr, Alice Walker, Tom, Louise Ashton, Paul Eggleton, Hannah Griffiths
2024-07-12
We recently hosted the British Ecological Society's Macroecology Special Interest Group annual meeting in Cardiff!
Loads of great talks, and proud supervisor moment for Tom as Sophie presented a talk while Kester and Lucy presented posters! Well done gang!
Sophie presenting her work.
Kester with his poster
Lucy with her poster
Lily Leahy visiting from Australia, Tom, Lucy, Sophie, and Kester
Charlene and Tom, alongside Andrew Davies and Rebecca Senior, have recently been awarded Human Frontier Science Programme funding to explore the mechanisms of social insect species coexistence in the South African fynbos/karoo ecosystems. Really exciting! Watch this space for some wine farm related field sites...
Mark and Tom enjoying the sunshine (!) in the Sani Pass.
Caswell and Tom with their shared wardrobe in Pietermaritzburg.
Charlene and Tom in the Cederberg mountains.
2024-04-25
Tom fresh from visiting Lesley Lancaster and her lab group up in Aberdeen. Tom gave a seminar on the past and future of trait ecology in social insects - check out the amazing illustration of the seminar by Tilly Scott below!
Searching for puffins on the Aberdeenshire coast!
Illustrated seminar drawn by Tilly Scott.
2024-03-30
Tom just returned from an inspiring trip to the University of Wyoming to talk all things temperature, ants, and bees! Spending time with Michael Dillon and his lab group.
Tom. Michael, Ellen, Shayne, and Sarah
Beers in the Buckhorn!
2023-12-20
We had a brief lab outing to Wentwood Forest checkin gout some wood ants, Formica rufa! Most were dormant, but a nice jaunt outside nonetheless.
Happy holidays everyone!
Kester, Lucy, Erin, and Sophie.
2023-11-02
Tom back from a trip to Manaus, Brasil, attending the amazing Mirmeco symopsium. So much inspiring ant science!
Also, a real pleasure to catch up with old friends and make some new ones!
Old friends (L-R): Chaim Lasmar, Ananzan Rabello, Tiago Fernandes, Ricardo Campos, Tom Bishop (me!), and Lucas Paolucci.
New friends: Amazonian field guide Journo, Thiago Izzo, Andrea Lucky, Heraldo Vasconcelos, Phil Ward, Ricardo Ruaro, Tom Bishop (me!), and Fabricio Baccaro.
2023-09-18
Welcome to the new website! We'll update this spot regularly with news.
Right now, Sophie is running ants from Wales and across Europe through her rapid thermal phenotyping assays in the lab. Tom is preparing for the new academic year!