Helen Hicks

Postdoctoral Researcher/Teaching Associate
Animal and Plant Sciences
University of Sheffield
United Kingdom

Academician Plant Sciences
Biography

Postdoctoral Researcher/Teaching Associate, University of Sheffield (2014–present) PhD – thesis title: ‘Farmland bird populations in decline: Agri-environmental management and insights from the wider countryside’ at the University of Reading and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (2009–2014) Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology Fellowship (2012) Habitat Action Plan Coordinator, Freshwater Habitats Trust (2008–2009) Data Management Officer, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (2007–2008) Fieldwork Assistant, Rothamsted Research Centre (2007) Ornithologist, Ecotox (2007) Conservation Trainee, Wildlife Trust (2006–2007) MSc Applied Ecology and Conservation, University of East Anglia (2005–2006) BSc Geography, University of Birmingham (2002–2005)

Research Intrest

My research interests centre on sustainable agricultural practices and balancing food production with biodiversity conservation. Agricultural policy changes very quickly, and the resulting changes to land-use patterns and land management practices can have wide-ranging ecological impacts. I believe strongly in the need to study, quantify and manage these impacts and the importance of knowledge exchange between science, policy makers and landowners. My current research focuses on the evolution of herbicide resistance in an arable weed. We are linking weed population data with farming approaches to weed management to identify the leading causes of the evolution of resistance in the field. Other research interests include farmland biodiversity, farmland bird populations, agri-environment schemes, landsparing versus landsharing and evidence-based conservation. I was Chair of Science in Policy group in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield 2014–2016; therefore, I have experience of working with policy-makers, writing policy-briefing documents and communicating with non-specialist audiences.