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; Herpetology; Palaeoecology; Plant-fungal symbioses; Spatial ecology
- Responses of mycorrhizal symbioses to global change processes
- Reptile community and population ecology (modern and palaeo)
- Spatial and temporal dynamics of species, biodiversity, and ecosystems
- Host-symbiont interactions and nutrient dynamics
- Integrating soil ecology into forest management practices
Postgraduate supervision
PhD students
- Meg Cathcart-James
- Audra Richter
- André Parise
- Julija Fediajevaite
- Alexandros Theodorou (Main supervisor: Dr. Becks Spake)
- Orestes Aslanidis (Main supervisor: Dr. Becks Spake)
- Vicky Jones (Main supervisor: Dr. Alejandra Perotti)
Recently graduated PhD students
- Petra Guy
- Tomos Jones
- Jas Rai
- Gilka Rocha da Silva
- Corrina Thomsen (UBCO)
Teaching
Module Convenor
- BI2PB2 Palaeobiology (Semester 2, 20 credits)
- BI3PRFC Palaeoecology Research Field Course (Summer, 20 credits)
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
- Exploring the cellular and molecular basis of extended cognition in plant-fungal symbioses. VKRF. Primary Investigator (2024-2026)
- 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 University of Reading. University of Reading (Research Endowment Trust Fund). Co-Investigator (2021-2022)
- Lichens, drones, and dinosaur bones. University of Reading (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. University of Reading (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
- Dr Gregory O'Neill, BC Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations, Canada
- Lisa O'Donnell, City of Austin Water, USA
- Emeritus Prof Keith Egger, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada
Palaeoecology / Palaeontology
- Dr Philip Bell, University of New England, Australia
- Dr Caleb Brown, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada
- Darren Tanke, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Canada
- Prof Derek Peddle, University of Lethbridge, Canada
- Prof Craig Coburn, University of Lethbridge, Canada
- Prof Jack Williams, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
- Dr Alejandro Ordonez, University of Aarhus, Denmark
- Prof Rolf Mathewes, Simon Fraser University, Canada
- Bax R. Barton, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, USA
Herpetology
- Kathy Wormald, Froglife, UK
- Chanel Comis, Wildlife Sense, Kefalonia, Greece
Impact, Enterprise and Outreach
- Rare dinosaur skin fossil discovered in Alberta. September 2022. CBC News: The National (Canada)
- Skin deep: How a unique fossil find brought together an international team. September 2022. News Feature, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Alberta, Canada)
- Fossil discovery could be rare complete dinosaur skeleton. September 2022. University of Reading News, also covered by news and websites across the UK and around the world.
- The Future is Fungal. March 2019. Guest speaker at The Wheeler Centre (Melbourne, Australia) with Gavin McIntyre of Ecovative.
- Save the turtles, save ourselves? May 2019. Pint of Science: Our Shared Planet (Reading, UK)
- The Magic of Mushrooms. March 2019 Invited Speaker at WOMADelaide Planet Talks series in Australia