Staff Profile

I am an organismal biologist, specialising in the ecology, evolution and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

Positions held

• Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution. Newcastle University, UK
• Scientific Associate. Natural History Museum, London
• Associate Member. Island Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, University of Seychelles
• Board Member. Amphibian Genomics Consortium
• Regional co-chair. IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group
• Member. IUCN Snake Specialist Group
• Member. IUCN Skink Specialist Group

Brief CV

• 2024 - present: Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution. Newcastle University
• 2023 - 2024: Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution. Newcastle University
• 2018 - 2019: Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. University of Wolverhampton
• 2017 - 2023: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Conservation Genetics. University of Wolverhampton
• 2011 - 2016: PhD. Natural History Museum, London & University College London
• 2007 - 2011: MZool. University of Wales, Bangor

Research themes

• Conservation.
• Biogeographic patterns driving diversification.
• Systematics and taxonomy.
• Establishing minimally invasive methods for collecting and isolating DNA.
• How habitat and environmental change impacts diversity.

Postdoctoral researchers

• Deepak Veerappan: NERC-NSF funded project on "Origins and expansion of endemic biodiversity in western Melanesia and their relation to tectonic evolution" (2023 – present). https://sites.google.com/view/deepakveerappan/home

Research Assistants

• Lucy Struthers: jointly working with North Pennines National Landscape on the project on the project "Genetic diversity and connectivity of adders (Vipera berus) in the North Pennines" (2024 – present).
• Samuel Betts: jointly working with North Pennines National Landscape on the project on the project "Genetic diversity and connectivity of adders (Vipera berus) in the North Pennines" (2024 – present).
• Rebecca Morris: NERC-NSF funded project on "Origins and expansion of endemic biodiversity in western Melanesia and their relation to tectonic evolution" (2023 – present).

PhD students

• Ellen Sharkey "Impacts of climate change on Seychelles caecilian amphibians" (2024 – present) [co-supervisors Dr Louise Mair (Newcastle University) & Gerard Rocamora (case partner at Island Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, University of Seychelles)
• Saunak Pal "Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the sphenomorphin skinks" (2023 – present) [co-supervisors Dr Fred Kraus (University of Michigan) & Dr Evelyn Jensen (Newcastle University). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Saunak-Pal
• Nicole Grimason "Trends in population size of Rana temporaria in the UK" (2023 – present) [co-supervisors Dr Natasha Kruger (University of Wolverhampton) & Dr Chris Young (University of Wolverhampton)]. https://researchers.wlv.ac.uk/N.Grimason
• Rémi Martin "Back to the future? Unravelling historic, current and potential future declines of the common toad, Bufo bufo, in the UK" (2019 – 2024) [co-supervisors Dr John Wilkinson (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust) & Dr Robert Jehle (Salford University)]. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Remi-Martin
• Morgan Hughes "The Assemblages, Fitness and Movements of Bats (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae and Rhinolophidae) in the Urban Matrix" (2018 – 2023) [co-supervisor Dr Chris Young (University of Wolverhampton)]. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Morgan-Hughes

Current MSc students

• Ellie Davison "Is there a link between amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) prevalence and low genetic diversity in common toad (Bufo bufo) populations in the UK". https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliedavison1/?trk=public_profile_samename-profile&originalSubdomain=uk

Module Leader

• NES1302 Ecology and Conservation
• NES2312 Field-based Ecology: designing experiments, and residential field course

Contributed Teaching

• NES2314 Vertebrate Biology
• NES3313 Africa Field Course: Conservation and Ecology
• NES1504 Academic and Professional Skills for the Biosciences
• Research project supervision for BSc, MBiol, MSc and MRes

• Articles

  • Laking AE, Solis JM, Brown T, Maddock ST, Burdekin O, Taylor P, Lonsdale G, Green SEW, Martin TE, Galdamez JR, Kolby JE, Erens J, Jocque M. The amphibians and reptiles of Cusuco National Park, Northwest Honduras: updates from a long-term conservation programme. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 2024, 19(2), 87-112.
  • Hughes M, Brown SK, Martin R, Young CH, Maddock S. Technical note: successful DNA amplification of DNA from non-destructive buccal swabbing in Vespertilionid and Rhinolophid bats. Conservation Genetics Resources 2024, epub ahead of print.
  • Martin R, Mullin KE, White NFD, Grimason N, Jehle R, Wilkinson JW, Orozco-terWengel P, Cunningham AA, Maddock ST. Optimising recovery of DNA from minimally invasive sampling methods: Efficacy of buccal swabs, preservation strategy and DNA extraction approaches for amphibian studies. Ecology and Evolution 2024, 14(9), e70294.
  • Sherlock MB, Streicher JW, Gower DJ, Maddock ST, Nussbaum RA, Oommen OV, Serra Silva A, Day JJ, Wilkinson M. Genomic SNPs resolve the phylogeny of an ancient amphibian island radiation from the Seychelles. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 2024, 198, 108130.
  • Schott RK, Fujita MK, Streicher JW, Gower DJ, Thomas KN, Loew ER, Bamba Kaya AG, Bittencourt-Silva GB, Guillherme Becker C, Cisneros-Heredia D, Clulow S, Davila M, Firneno TJ, Haddad CFB, Janssenswillen S, Labisko J, Maddock ST, Mahony M, Martins RA, Michaels CJ, Mitchell NJ, Portik DM, Prates I, Roelants K, Roelke C, Tobi E, Woolfolk M, Bell RC. Diversity and Evolution of Frog Visual Opsins: Spectral Tuning and Adaptation to Distinct Light Environments. Molecular Biology and Evolution 2024, 41(4), msae049.
  • Mancuso M, Zaman S, Maddock ST, Kamei RG, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Wilkinson M, Roelants K, Fry BG. Resistance Is Not Futile: Widespread Convergent Evolution of Resistance to Alpha-Neurotoxic Snake Venoms in Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023, 24(14), 11353.
  • Deepak V, Maddock ST, Williams R, Nagy ZT, Conradie W, Rocha S, Harris DJ, Perera A, Gvozdík V, Doherty Bone TM, Kamei RG, Menegon M, Labisko J, Morel C, Cooper N, Day JJ, Gower DJ. Molecular phylogenetics of sub-Saharan African natricine snakes, and the biogeographic origins of the Seychelles endemic Lycognathophis seychellensis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 2021, 161, 107152.