Dr Tom Breeze
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+44 (0) 118 378 6026
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Senior Research Fellow
Areas of interest
My research focuses on the links between biodiversity (especially bees and other pollinators) and people, using ecological, economic and social science methods. I combine these methods along three key themes:
- Food systems: how does biodiversity affect different aspects of food systems and different people within those systems?
- Landscape management: What are the consequences of land use on biodiversity, businesses and people within the wider landscape?
- Biodiversity monitoring: What are the costs and benefits of different monitoring methods and workflows, and how can we use this data to make better, more sustainable and equitable decisions?
Most of my research has focused on bees and other pollinators, but I have also worked with other insects and even mammals.
Postgraduate supervision
I welcome prospective students (undergraduate and postgraduate) who want to work on interdisciplinary research projects. Students from lower income countries are especially welcome.
Current PhD Students
- Maria Fernanda Navarro Silberstein (2025-Present) Financial Implications of Pollination Dependence and Supply Chain Resilience (Henly Business School scholarship)
- Wiktoria Szkolnicka (2025-Present) Novel pathways to transition complex supply chains to regenerative agriculture (BBSRC FoodBioSystems DTP)
- Rosa Pollard Smith (2025-Present) How can AI-based insect monitoring technologies enhance large-scale insect monitoring? (NERC CROCUS DTP studentship)
- Bea Kerry (2024-Present) Co-design of a pollinator-friendly labelling scheme (EU Horizon Europe RESTPOL project)
- Emmeline Smith (2023-present) Strengthening links between agri-environment management and pollination services for cost-effective bee conservation (NERC Scenarios DTP Studentship)
- Ellen Knight (2022-present) PhD: Does pollinator diversity moderate ecosystem function in agroforestry systems? (NERC Scenarios DTP studentship)
- Rafael Pompa (2018-Present) PhD: Ecosystem services provision and adoption of agroforestry in England (Wilkie Calvert co-supported PhD studentship)
Completed PhD students
- Louise Hutchinson (2017-2023) PhD (part-time): Characterizing the pollinator communities & pollination sustainability of four economically important UK crops (NERC QMEE CDT studentship)
- Mike Image (2017-2023) PhD (part-time): The impact of agri-environment schemes on pollination services in England (Wilkie Calvert co-supported PhD studentship)
- Elena Cini (2018-2022) PhD: Assessing the effects of pressures and their interaction on commercially reared Apis mellifera and Bombus terrestris colonies and implications for management practices (EU Horizon 2020 POSHBEE project)
- Tom Staton (2017-2021) PhD: Evaluating how plant community composition influences natural enemy biodiversity and pest regulation services in temperate agroforestry systems (NERC QMEE CDT studentship)
- Duncan Coston (2015-2019) PhD: Quantifying the impacts of the neonicotinoid restriction on oilseed rape pest control, pollination and productivity (Lawes Agricultural Trust PhD scholarship)
- “Maria” Han Zhang (2013-2017) PhD: The Economic Value of UK Pest Regulation Services (EU FP7 LIBERATION project)
Teaching
AD3ESN – Ecosystem Services and Nature-Based Solutions
ADMRAS– Rethinking Agricultural Systems
Research centres and groups
Department of Sustainable Land Management
Research projects
Current projects
VALOR - Values and Dependences of Society and the Economy on Pollinators (EU Horizon Europe, 2025-2028)
Agri4Poll - Promoting sustainable agriculture for pollinators (EU Horizon Europe, 2025-2028)
RestPoll - Restoring Pollinator Habitats Across European Agricultural Landscapes Based on Multi-Actor Participatory Approaches (EU Horizon Europe 2023-2027)
MAMBO – Modern Approaches to Monitoring of BiOdiversity (EU Horizon Europe 2022-2026)
Safeguard - Safeguarding European wild pollinators (EU H2020, 2021-2025)
FoodSEqual – Food Systems Equality (Transforming UK Food Systems 2021-2025)
Past projects
DRUID: Drivers and Repercussions of UK Insect Declines (NERC, 2020-2024)
SPRING - Strengthening Pollinator Recovery through indicators and monitoring (DG Environment, 2021-2023)
EuropaBON - Europa Biodiversity Observation Network: integrating data streams to support policy (EU H2020, 2020-2023)
PoshBee - Pan-European assessment, monitoring, and mitigation of stressors on the health of bees (EU H2020 2018-2023)
SUPER Farm India - SUstainable farming through effective Pollination and pEst Regulation in India (University of Reading GCRF 2019-2021)
Resilient Pollination - Modelling Landscapes for Resilient Pollination Services in the UK (BBSRC Resilience in the Food System, 2017-2021)
SMOOPS - Sustainable Management of Orchard Pollination Services (BBSRC, 2016-2019)
SUPER-B - Sustainable Pollination in Europe (EU COST Action, 2014-2018)
LIBERATION - Linking farmland biodiversity to ecosystem services for effective ecofunctional intensification (EU FP7 2014-2017)
NPPMF - Design and Testing of a National Pollinator and Pollination Monitoring Framework (DEFRA, 2014-2016)
Crop pollination: Sustainable Pollination services for UK Crops (Insect Pollinator Initiative, 2011-2014)
STEP - Status and Trends of European Pollinators (EUFP7, 2010-2015)