Professor Xavier Lambin

Biography

2016 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh FRSE 

2015 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology FRSB 

2004 Professor of Ecology, University of Aberdeen 

1994 Lecturer, Senior Lecturer (1999), Reader in zoology (2002) University of Aberdeen

1993 NATO/Royal Society Research Fellow at Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Banchory field Station

1992 PhD University of Louvain & Univ British Columbia, Personal Reseach Fellowship National Foundation for Scientific Research (Belgium)

1988-1991 Visiting Graduate Student, University of British Columbia1986 BSc Zoological Sciences, University of Louvain, First class

1988 MSc Biology, University of Louvain, First class

1987 Visiting Graduate Student, University of Oslo 

External Memberships

Prof Lambin is currently:

A member of REF2021 panel B7 Earth Systems and Environmental Science

A member of Orkney's Native wildlife Project Technical Advisory committee

a member of Scotland Invasive Species Initiative steering board

A member of Scottish Natural Heritage Scientific Advisory Committe Expert panel 

Research Overview

My research seeks to understand the contributions of dispersal to the dynamics of populations,  how the outcome of trophic interactions is modified by dispersal and to optimise the use of concepts from population ecology to solve pressing applied issues in wildlife management and conservation.

I achieve these aims by conducting large scale, often long term field studies with birds and mammals as well as by linking theoretical insights with empirical findings using state of the art statistical techniques. Ongoing projects include

1. Metapopulation dynamics including of water voles and the role of dispersal and connectivity in fragmented systems on soil processes and vegation dynamics and disease dynamics
2. Intraguild predation interactions and other interactions in bird of prey communities including those ivolving the northern goshawk, owls, other birds of prey and the pine marten
3. The impact of the recovery of pine martens on grey and red squirrels, the squirrel pox virus and conservation and land use issues surrounding non-native grey squirrels
4. The changing dynamics of cyclic field and  common voles in the UK and Spain and their relationships with the predators parasites and food plants
5. The management of non-native American mink and the volunteers and organsiations that are working to push back this invasion 
6. The management of non-native signal crayfish at the edge of their invasion front where they are predicted to profoundly damage freshwater fisheries and ecosystems

Current Research

Google Scholar profile

Collaborations

Spatial dynamics of pathogens and hosts

Dr Sandra Telfer (water vole metapopulations, disease dynamics);  Prof Mike Begon (University of Liverpool)

Cyclic Vole demography

Prof Juan Luque Larena, Dr  Francois Mougeot, Dr Beatriz Arroyo (Irruptive vole populations in Catilla y Leon CSIC IREC) ; Dr Eloy Revilla and Ruben Bernardo (meta-analyses of vole demography CSIC Donana, Spain); Prof sue Hartley (Univ York plant herbivore dynamics)

Statistical ecology

Dr Chris Sutherland (Univ Massashusets); Prof David Elston (BioSS); Dr Thomas Cornulier (statistical models of population dynamics, voles mink and more)

Raptor dynamics and life histories

Dr Alexandre Millon (Univ Aix Marseille), Dr Steve Petty (retired), Dr Phil Whitfield (Natural Research), Dr Ewan Weston (Natural Research) 

Adaptive management of Invasive species  

Chris Horrill, Ann Marie MacMaster (American mink participatory management, RAFTS); Prof Rene van der Wal (Citizen science and Minkapp);  Prof Colin Bean (Crayfish SNH), Bob Laughton (Crayfish Nairn river trust), 

Ecosystem dynamics

Prof Rolf Ims and Prof Nigel Yoccoz (University of Tromso Norway); Ricardo Pita (Univ Evora, Portugal)

Biodiversity and forest management

Kenny Kortland (pine martens, wood ants, squirrels, Forest Enterprise Scotland)

Funding and Grants

Teaching Responsibilities

Course organiser for 4th year course Zo4527 in Wildlife conservation and management concepts and practice

Contributor to MSc in Ecology and Sustainability course Zo5304 Population Ecology 

Contributor to MSc course EK5506 Ecology and Society

Contributor to 3rd year course Zo3303 in Animal Population Ecology

Contributor to 3rd year field course BI3001 Field Ecology Skills

Contributor to 2nd year course BI2020 Ecology