Chris Hassall
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katatrepsis.bsky.social
Chris Hassall
@katatrepsis.bsky.social
Academic at the University of Leeds, working on #ecology, #evolution, #entomology, #education. Views my own. He/him.
Why do we measure what we measure about nature, and what does that mean for our understanding of biodiversity? @serenath.bsky.social is running a workshop to share her fascinating PhD findings which you can sign up to (see below) and feed back on the results #ecology #biodiversity #extinction
Are you an ecologist? Do you collect biodiversity data for your role in a charity, research, a government body, or a specialist organisation?

Read on for a thread that might interest you… 🧵 [1/6]

#biodiversity #forests #darkextinction #ecology #research
November 17, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
@extinctionleeds.bsky.social is an interdisciplinary doctoral training programme focusing on topics relating to extinction and its meanings, histories and legacies.

Watch the whole🎬👉 media.leverhulme.ac.uk/video/extinc...
@katatrepsis.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
I’m in a video about my very cool PhD program @extinctionleeds.bsky.social. Shot during a difficult time for me, I’m still happy I managed the filming and shared my research 🧐
We're honoured that @leverhulme.ac.uk chose to feature @extinctionleeds.bsky.social as part of their centenary. It's testament to our fantastic PGRs, including @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social and @kate-elspeth.bsky.social whose work is highlighted. Full video link in the post. #extinction #culture
@extinctionleeds.bsky.social is an interdisciplinary doctoral training programme focusing on topics relating to extinction and its meanings, histories and legacies.

Watch the whole🎬👉 media.leverhulme.ac.uk/video/extinc...
@katatrepsis.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM
We're honoured that @leverhulme.ac.uk chose to feature @extinctionleeds.bsky.social as part of their centenary. It's testament to our fantastic PGRs, including @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social and @kate-elspeth.bsky.social whose work is highlighted. Full video link in the post. #extinction #culture
@extinctionleeds.bsky.social is an interdisciplinary doctoral training programme focusing on topics relating to extinction and its meanings, histories and legacies.

Watch the whole🎬👉 media.leverhulme.ac.uk/video/extinc...
@katatrepsis.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Radar technology has been around for decades, used to track & predict weather. Now scientists have made a breakthrough using it to monitor insects - paving the way for cost effective biodiversity tracking across huge areas @katatrepsis.bsky.social @ncas-uk.bsky.social www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...
Trillions of insects fly above us - weather radar reveals alarming declines
Scientists have made a breakthrough in monitoring insect populations across the UK using an unexpected tool: weather radar.
www.leeds.ac.uk
November 3, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Seems suitable for today: I resurrected my clay extruder for creating pastry prey for experiments on bird predation. It also looks like a very teeny Eldritch horror emerging from a teeny portal... Strongly agree with Talya that ecology is just being 7 yrs old again! #evolution #camouflage #research
October 31, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Delighted to announce a new paper, led by Mansi Mungee, which studies insect populations over the UK using weather radar and is covered by the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

more below...

#entomology #radar #biodiversity #insect #research #conservation #data #tech #sustainability
Night-flying insects over UK in decline, weather radar study reveals
Study of Met Office data one of first to show how nocturnal insects affected by factors such as light pollution
www.theguardian.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:52 PM
I have a #PhD project advertised on "Hacking Urban Habitability: A Data-Driven Network Approach to Build Thriving Cities for All Species" led by @rogercre.bsky.social. It should be a LOT of fund and would suit a creative graduate who can think in space and systems yes-dtn.ac.uk/research/hac...
Hacking Urban Habitability: A Data-Driven Network Approach to Build Thriving Cities for All Species - Yorkshire Environmental Sciences • Doctoral Training Network
Reimagine our cities as thriving, equitable ecosystems for all life, pioneer a novel network-driven framework for urban habitability at the critical interface of ecological resilience and human wellbe...
yes-dtn.ac.uk
October 14, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Are you looking for a PhD position and want to spend your summers in the Rocky Mountains?

My lab @cudenverclas.bsky.social is looking for 1 PhD student to work on a NSF-funded project to study elevational range shifts in Colorado! 🧪🌍🐙

Apply by Nov 1!

Details here docs.google.com/document/d/1...
2025 - Hypoxia PhD job ad
The Moore lab at the University of Colorado Denver is searching for 1 Ph.D. student to study the elevational limits of dragonflies in Colorado (http://moore-evo-eco.weebly.com). This position is fully...
docs.google.com
August 18, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Happy to see this paper out which started as a Masters project for first author Cameron Peacock - exploring the potential and the limitations of 3D scanning tech for supporting insect taxonomy
dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3... 🧪🌍🪳🐝 @bioscienceleeds.bsky.social @katatrepsis.bsky.social
Evaluating the Supplementary Role of Photogrammetry in Insect Taxonomy: Applications and Limitations of 3D Scanning Technology
Our study presents a cost-effective 3D scanning approach to enhance taxonomic identification, particularly for archival and educational applications. By allowing the scanning of pinned specimens with...
dx.doi.org
August 6, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Are you an early-career biologist or ecologist who would benefit from an invited seminar? Would you like to come to UMaine next fall or spring to give a talk? Leave a brief comment with some info about what you do. I'm co-hosting our seminar series again, and am filling out our rosters.
July 30, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Wild great tits signal ‘divorce’ long before the breeding season — even in the winter, months before the couples rebreed with different partners in the following spring

New study with @universityofleeds.bsky.social in @royalsocietypublishing.org 👇
bit.ly/4lRt7TN
@sheldonbirds.bsky.social
Great tits show early signs of splitting up: researchers uncover social clues to bird 'divorce'
bit.ly
July 30, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
📢 Now hiring: @canjzoology.bsky.social is recruiting an #ECR Associate Editor! This is a great volunteer opportunity for a postdoc or early-career faculty member to gain editorial experience and build connections!

▶️ buff.ly/QGdDC1k

#AcademicSky #SciComm 🧪 #AcWri #PHDSky #ScholComms
July 7, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Through an interdisciplinary and participatory action research approach, Sarah Oakes is investigating sociocultural potato knowledge among Quechua farmers in the Peruvian Andes. Read more about her fascinating project here: media.leverhulme.ac.uk/feature/soakes @extinctionleeds.bsky.social
June 13, 2025 at 12:01 PM
🌏 🧪 🌊🐬New paper led by Lucas Bernier: Fraser’s dolphins are among the least studied dolphins on Earth—offshore, deep-diving, and rarely seen. Lucas' work reveals they are surprisingly common along the Lesser Antilles, with a connected population across the arc.
📖 Read more: doi.org/10.1111/mms....
Characterizing Fraser's Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) in the Lesser Antilles: Distribution, Movements, and Co‐Occurrence With Other Cetacean Species to Inform Conservation Strategies in the Caribbean
Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) is one of the least studied dolphin species due to its tropical, offshore distribution and low density. However, it is frequently observed in the Lesser Antille...
doi.org
June 16, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
I have an opportunity to hire a staff scientist for my lab. Looking for someone with outstanding skillset in ML/statistics, genomics applications; interest in mentoring, strong publication record, PD experience required.

Email CV to me+cc my assistant (see 'contact' on my website). Ad to follow.
June 1, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
This time last month, I performed probably my coolest science show to date, hanging 8m above the ground, and @ri-science.bsky.social were kind enough to let me film it.

Today, I'm happy to share my recording for you to enjoy: youtu.be/wPQsq5GRigw
May 6, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
All, if you've had your federally-funded research disrupted due to the admin's chaos, consider this funding opportunity from Robert Wood Johnson:

Rapid Response Research

Rapid Response Research awards are exclusively available to applicants who have already received federal funding... 🧪🧵
Rapid Response Research Awards | Evidence for Action
www.evidenceforaction.org
May 3, 2025 at 4:37 PM
If you'd like to hear @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social speak about their recent work on "Rethinking extinction “crises”: The case of Asian songbird trade", there's a talk that is available here: doi.org/10.52843/cas... #extinction #conservation #bird 🌍🧪
May 1, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Congratulations to @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social on successfully defending their PhD thesis! I can honestly say that this was one of the most interesting projects I have been involved with, the most talented students I have supervised, and the least stressful waits for a viva outcome :-)
May 1, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
congratulations to Dr @sicilyfiennes.bsky.social , for successfully defending their thesis on the songbird trade in Indonesia. A highly interdisciplinary study, with some wonderful papers and a cool interactive website here www.uncagedconservation.com
Uncaged Conservation - An inclusive audio-visual exploration of wildlife marketplace
Through this collaborative work of art and science, we want to challenge the misconceptions about the illegal wildlife trade and the people involved. Immerse yourself in the website and experience wha...
www.uncagedconservation.com
April 30, 2025 at 7:35 PM
This was a really interesting project to work on. How do you communicate complex layers of geospatial data under different scenarios of environmental change? #ShinyR offers opportunities for #dataviz that you just can't achieve in static images.
The Shiny web framework has amazing potential to support interactive data visualisations. We developed an app for users to explore a complex #GIS map dataset from our study on declining water levels in the Caspian Sea #Rstats #ShinyR chassall.shinyapps.io/CaspianShiny...
doi.org/10.1038/s432... 🧪🌏
April 17, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
You can explore data from our paper and visualise the impact of different water level decline scenarios on protected areas and other ecologically significant areas, and human infrastructure with this interactive Shiny app chassall.shinyapps.io/CaspianShiny... made by @katatrepsis.bsky.social 🧪🌏
chassall.shinyapps.io
April 10, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Declines in the water level of the Caspian Sea driven by climate change will hit biodiversity & human populations hard. A decline of 5-10m will threaten ecosystem integrity, reduce coverage of marine protected areas by up to 94% & compromise key infrastructure. www.nature.com/articles/s43... 🧪🌏🦭🐋🦑
Rapid decline of Caspian Sea level threatens ecosystem integrity, biodiversity protection, and human infrastructure - Communications Earth & Environment
Water level declines of 5−10m in the Caspian Sea will threaten ecosystem integrity, compromise human infrastructure, and reduce marine protected area coverage by 94%, according to bathymetric maps of ...
www.nature.com
April 10, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Reposted by Chris Hassall
Brilliant news! At last, confirmation that the Govt *will* go ahead with the #NaturalHistoryGCSE 🎉 We have to get to know our fellow travellers on this planet again. Young people who know & love nature are far more likely to protect & restore it - as well as enjoying better physical & mental health
Department for Education confirms launch of natural history GCSE
Campaigners have been calling for the qualification for years but plan stalled despite a curriculum being drawn up
www.theguardian.com
March 21, 2025 at 3:54 PM