Colin has been in Sheffield for twenty five years, as postdoc, Royal Society Research Fellow, and latterly an academic. Before that, he worked for a PhD in plant ecophysiology at the University of Essex, and a BSc in Plant Sciences at the University of Manchester.

Colin’s research investigates how evolutionary processes lead to physiological diversity in wild plants, and the significance of physiological differences for ecological behaviour. Photosynthesis and growth are of particular interest, with C4 photosynthesis and crop domestication important study systems.

Sustainability is also a central  theme, and Colin's work looks at plant physiological responses to climate change, the significance of these responses for ecosystems, and the ways in which ecosystem carbon capture could help us achieve net zero carbon emissions.

Work in these areas is multi-disciplinary, spanning global ecological analyses, comparative investigations accounting for evolutionary history, experimental physiological work comparing multiple species, and genomic investigations of plant evolution.