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Brian Pickles

Brian Pickles
  • 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

Publications

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