Profile

I come from Poland, but I have been in the UK for most of my adult life, and now hold dual citizenship – I came here to do my Master’s degree, and stayed ever since. I am a pretty international person, having lived in eight countries and visited over 40. I’m a zoologist, and I love seeing what animals do in the wild, when they think no-one is watching.

I also love communicating science to various audiences, and even dabble in science stand-up comedy. I write (and help write) popular science books and articles. Outside of science, I really enjoy cycling (it’s my basic mode of transport and that makes me very happy), and clothes shopping – but I make sure to only buy second-hand (apart from underwear and sock, because eugh).

I am a behavioural ecologist, which means that I study how animals interact with their environment. I teach people how to monitor wildlife, to be able to tell if populations of different species are doing well or not – we can then use this information to compare between different sites, or track changes over time.

My particular interest is invasive species: animals and plants that have been brought from one part of the world to another, and have adapted very well to their new environments (so much so, that they have become a threat to the native wildlife). I am also interested in urban ecology, or how wildlife has adapted to live in cities.

Apart from that, I do a lot of teaching at the University of Oxford – and I really love interacting with my students! I also write books, give talks to people who are not scientists, and I write popular science articles in both Polish and in English.

I don’t really have a typical work day – in my job, I do all sorts of things (which is great, because it means I’m never bored). Some days I spend mainly with my students – either giving lectures or doing practicals in the field; other days I spend mainly with my computer – on research and writing. Still, the best days are the ones I spend outdoors, chasing animals. That’s pretty diverse, too – I could be surveying small mammals, or observing bird behaviour, or trapping insects.

In summer, I take my students out for fieldwork – anywhere from South Africa, Iceland, Sweden or Poland, or more locally around Oxfordshire. It’s a very intensive time, because we are out and about all day – collecting samples, looking at animal tracks, identifying plants – but it is also great fun.

Sometimes I’m in a tent in the South African mountains, trying to warm myself by the fire, wearing hiking boots and a fleece – and sometimes I’m at a conference in high heels and a smart jacket.