I graduated in Zoology from the University of Durham, before completing a PhD in Insect Population Ecology at the University of Liverpool; subsequently I specialised in veterinary entomology at the University of Bristol, working on the ecology and sustainable control of ectoparasites and vectors, and their impact on animal health. Current research focuses particularly on ticks and mange mites and considers the impacts of temperature and humidity – and hence climate and climate change - on their patterns of activity and abundance. I also have interests in non-conventional approaches to ectoparasite control and the environmental impacts of veterinary parasiticides. I have co-authored over 250 research papers and 3 textbooks and have been awarded both the WAAVP Peter Nansen prize and the WAAVP Award for Research Excellence in Veterinary Parasitology. I am currently a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and secretary/treasurer of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology