Brian Pickles
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0118 378 7955
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Associate Professor
- Programme Director for Zoology
- International Palaeoecology Field School Coordinator
- SBS Research Coordinator for EcoValley Woodland
Areas of interest
Biodiversity; Dinosaurs; Herpetology; Palaeoecology; Plant-fungal symbioses; Spatial ecology
- Reptile and amphibian conservation and ecology
- Spatial and temporal dynamics of species, biodiversity, and ecosystems
- Host-symbiont interactions and nutrient dynamics
- Mycorrhizas and soil ecology in forest management
- Dinosaur palaeontology and palaeoecology
Postgraduate supervision
PhD students
- Audra Richter
- André Parise
- Julija Fediajevaite
- Sarah Ashby
- Emily Seccombe
- Alexandros Theodorou (with Dr. Becks Spake at Southampton)
- Orestes Aslanidis (with Dr. Becks Spake at Southampton)
Recently graduated PhD students
- Meg Cathcart-James
- Petra Guy
- Tomos Jones
- Jas Rai
- Gilka Rocha da Silva
- Corrina Thomsen (UBCO)
Teaching
Module Convenor
- BI2PB2 Palaeobiology (Part 2, S2)
- BI3PRFC Palaeoecology Research Field Course (Summer before Part 3)
- BI3RBD2 Planet of the Sauropsids: Reptiles, Birds, and Dinosaurs (Part 3, S2)
- BIMRED1 Research Skills and Experimental Design (MSc/MSci, S1)
Contributed lectures and/or tutorials
- BI1FE2 Fundamentals of Ecology
- BI1HLE2 History of Life on Earth
- BI2CV1 Comparative Vertebrate Biology
- BI2MBC1 Marine Biology and Conservation
- BI2PW2 Plant World
Research centres and groups
Research projects
- Temporal and spatial impacts of conservation actions on British reptiles and amphibians. Natural Environment Research Council (CROCUS DLA PhD Studentship). Primary Investigator (2025-present)
- Uncovering the dinosaur-dominated tracksites of Dinosaur Provincial Park. Co-PI (2024-present)
- Exploring the cellular and molecular basis of extended cognition in plant-fungal symbioses. VKRF. Primary Investigator (2024-2026)
- Exploring belowground pathways to successful tree establishment on former farmland. Co-PI (2022-present)
- Digging into the "Gadgil effect": how the competitive balance between fungal guilds affects carbon and nitrogen cycling. Natural Environment Research Council (Standard Grant). Co-Investigator (2022-2025)
- Real-time acoustic biodiversity monitoring with the BioAcoustic Index Tool (Pilot Study). Woodland Trust (Small Research Grant). Primary Investigator (2022-2023)
- Establishing a Research Woodland for the 糖心视频. 糖心视频 (Research Endowment Trust Fund). Co-Investigator (2021-2022)
- Lichens, drones, and dinosaur bones. 糖心视频 (SBS Seed Fund). Collaboration with Royal Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology and University of Lethbridge. Primary Investigator (2020-present)
- Future forests and wild woods: modelling the responses of trees to climate, land-use, soils and mycorrhizal symbioses. Natural Environment Research Council (QMEE CDT PhD Studentship). Primary Investigator (2018-2022)
- InfruTreeCity: Understanding Infrared radiative performance of urban trees for better future cities. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Research Grant). Co-Investigator (2018-2022)
- Examining the ecology of drought resilience in the native woodlands of Central Texas. 糖心视频 (SBS Seed Fund) and City of Austin Water. Collaboration with City of Austin Water and St. Edward’s University. Primary Investigator (2017-present)
- British Garden Plants: A Threat to the Natural Environment Due to Climate Change? Natural Environment Research Council (SCENARIO DTP PhD Studentship). Co- Investigator (2017-2022)
- Designing successful forest renewal strategies for our changing climate. Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Strategic Projects Grant). Co-Investigator (2016-2019)
Professional bodies/affiliations
- Affiliate Professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Canada
- Affiliate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, Canada
- Associate Member of the School of Graduate Studies, University of Lethbridge, Canada
National and international collaborators
Forest ecology / Mycorrhizal ecology
- Dr Elena Vanguelova, Forest Research, UK
- Dr Nadia Barsoum, Forest Research, UK
- Prof Suzanne Simard, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Prof Les Lavkulic, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Prof Bill Mohn, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Dr Jason Pither, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, Canada
- Prof Miranda Hart, University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, Canada
- Lisa O'Donnell, City of Austin Water, USA
Palaeoecology / Palaeontology
- Dr Philip Bell, University of New England, Australia
- Dr Caleb Brown, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada
- Darren Tanke, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada
- Dr Christopher West, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada
- Dr Paul Durkin, University of Manitoba, Canada
- Sally Hurst, Macquarie University, Australia
- Michael Rampe, Rampe Realistic Imaging, Australia
- Prof Derek Peddle, University of Lethbridge, Canada
- Prof Craig Coburn, University of Lethbridge, Canada
Herpetology
- Kathy Wormald, Froglife, UK
- Dr Andrew Smart, Froglife, UK
- Jenny Tse-Leon, Froglife, UK
Impact, Enterprise and Outreach
- . July 2025. National Geographic.
- . February 2025. CTV News
- . Researchers demonstrate power of practical conservation. December 2024.
- . September 2022. CBC News: The National (Canada)
- September 2022. News Feature, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Alberta, Canada)
- Fossil discovery could be rare complete dinosaur skeleton. September 2022. 糖心视频 News, also covered by news and websites across the UK and around the world.
- . March 2019. Guest speaker at The Wheeler Centre (Melbourne, Australia) with Gavin McIntyre of Ecovative.
- May 2019. Pint of Science: Our Shared Planet (糖心视频, UK)
- . March 2019 Invited Speaker at WOMADelaide Planet Talks series in Australia