Becca Higham

My research interests lie in the ecology of parasites, specifically that of disease vector species, namely Culicoides biting midges.  Culicoides species act as vectors for livestock and human diseases and are widespread and abundant across much of the world.  I work, in collaboration with the Pirbright Institute, to improve understanding of the habitats and ecological roles of such species.

Before beginning my DPhil program at Oxford, I completed a BSc (Hons) in Biology at the University of Bristol, and then an MRes in Biodiversity, Evolution and Conservation at UCL. Here I studied the impact of anthropogenic land use and climate change on mosquito vectors in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and the Myxozoan diversity of Ecuadorean anurans, at London’s Natural History Museum.