Research

My research is concerned broadly with behaviour: how it is generated, how it varies in response to environmental conditions, and how we explain and model it. I work across behavioural science, evolutionary biology and ecology, combining empirical research with theoretical and increasingly computational approaches.

Much of my work falls within three overlapping areas.

Behaviour and environments

I am interested in how organisms respond to the environments in which they find themselves, including environments substantially modified by human activity.

My research with humans has examined behavioural and physiological responses to social and ecological conditions, particularly inequality. This has included work on fertility, hygiene norms, quality of life and environmental behaviour. A recurring concern has been how apparently social phenomena relate to the ecological conditions individuals experience.

My behavioural ecology work has focused particularly on birds. I have a long-running interest in the breeding behaviour of kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), including reproductive decisions, parental effort, chick behaviour and nest-site choice. Work on natural colonies on Lundy and on birds nesting in towns and cities provides opportunities to investigate behaviour across markedly different environments.

More recent ecological work includes urban seabirds, nesting provision, avian biodiversity and the interactions between birds and human infrastructure.

Evolution and explanation

I have a longstanding interest in evolutionary theory and in how evolutionary explanations work.

This includes research on the Modern Synthesis, the use of information concepts in biology, causation and the application of evolutionary thinking within the behavioural sciences. More generally, I am interested in what our theoretical constructs commit us to when we use them to explain behaviour.

This work has led me to think increasingly about the relationship between biological processes and the models used to represent them. Models necessarily simplify their targets; understanding what has been included, omitted or assumed is therefore part of understanding the explanation being offered.

My books and theoretical publications develop different aspects of these interests.

Behaviour, models and applications

Some of my current work uses computational and other modelling approaches to investigate behavioural and ecological problems.

I am interested particularly in models that represent the behaviour of individual organisms and allow larger-scale patterns to emerge from their interactions. Such approaches provide one way of exploring the consequences of assumptions about behaviour and comparing different representations of the same system.

My applied work has included behaviour-change interventions, environmental behaviour and conservation problems. Current interests include the application of behavioural and ecological evidence to problems involving wildlife and human infrastructure.

A broader concern across this work is how evidence and models are used when decisions have to be made despite uncertainty.

Collaboration

Much of my research is collaborative and crosses conventional disciplinary boundaries. I am interested in collaborations involving behavioural science, evolutionary biology, ecology and computational approaches.

For publications arising from these areas, see Publications.

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