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
- 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
- André Parise
- 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 ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø. ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø (Research Endowment Trust Fund). Co-Investigator (2021-2022)
- Lichens, drones, and dinosaur bones. ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø (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. ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø (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. ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø 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 (ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø, UK)
- . March 2019 Invited Speaker at WOMADelaide Planet Talks series in Australia