My name is Jonathan Fenn, and I am currently undertaking a 3-month work placement at the National Biodiversity Network office in Nottingham.
This placement is being completed as part of my PhD, which I am in the process of completing at the University of Nottingham. My normal area of research is the immunology and parasitology of wild mouse populations, and how their response to infection differs from lab animals.
I’m originally from London, but moved to Manchester in 2010 to complete my degree in Zoology. As part of my degree I was lucky enough to spend a year working at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, where I was involved in a project to catalogue the native gastropod species of Vietnam. I moved straight to Nottingham after my degree to start my PhD, and I currently live with my wife in Beeston, near the University.
Having mostly spent my scientific life involved in academia and research, I’m keen to spend some time in a more public-facing side of science, and gain some experience of engaging with the public about nature and biodiversity. Over the next three months I’ll mainly be involved with producing some guides to help people navigate the new NBN Atlas website, but may also be involved with other projects, such as helping to promote the UK Awards for Biological Recording and Information Sharing.
