30-Second Biology

Nicholas Battey is Head of Environmental Biology and Mark Fellowes is Head of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading. Together, their expertise spans the diversity of their subject: Professor Battey’s background is in cells, genes and plants. His current fields of research include the physiology, molecular biology and development of flowering plants with a particular interest in fruit crops. Dr Fellowes’s background is in ecology, evolution and animals and his research interests focus on interactions between species. Mark Fellowes has been passionate about wildlife from an early age, spending his formative years in the wilds of the west of Ireland surveying birds and bringing bits of the countryside into his home. He is now Professor of Ecology at the University of Reading, working on species as diverse as aphids and ants, red kites and sloth bears. With current projects on five continents, his research explores the connections between people and animals, trying to understand how we can live alongside wildlife for the benefit of biodiversity. He lives in the UK.