Alison M. Dunn

Alison M. Dunn's first degree was in Zoology at Pembroke College Oxford. After working as a nature reserve warden, a lab technician and a violin teacher, she returned to academia to undertake a PhD in host parasite evolution at the University of Leeds. Her post-doctoral research was at the NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College. She came to the University of Leeds as a NERC Research Fellow, before joining the academic staff where she is now Professor of Ecology. Alison's research asks fundamental questions about invasive species and diseases as well as exploring biosecurity policy and practice. Her group uses invasive species and novel host-parasite interactions to investigate how parasites drive changes in host behavior and life history (trait mediated effects), which in turn affect competitive and consumer-resource interactions, and the outcome for community structure and ecosystem function. She also has projects looking at extinction and conservation of free-living and parasitic organisms. Biosecurity is a critical first line of defense to prevent the introduction and spread of Invasive Alien Species and parasites, and the team collaborates with environment managers to develop practical biosecurity practices for a range of field conditions and to translate research evidence into policy and on the ground solutions.