Dr Rebecca Millington

My work uses mathematical models to better understand the underlying ecological and evolutionary processes occurring in ecosystems as they respond to environmental change. Currently, I am using ERSEM to compare the role of different ecological processes in the carbon cycle and explore regional similarities and differences in ecosystem responses to climate change.

I previously worked as a postdoctoral research associate with Prof. Gabriel Yvon-Durocher at the Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter. My focus was on improving the understanding and predictions of the long-term response of microbial respiration to temperature, using a novel suite of data in conjunction with the development of mechanistic models.

My PhD gave me broad experience of applying mathematical models to different ecosystems. This included using conceptual models to explore the links between community adaptation, assembly and functioning, as well as using a model of coral reef fisheries to explore the effect of direct warming and habitat degradation on future fisheries productivity. I completed my PhD research as part of the QUEX institute, a partnership between the University of Queensland and the University of Exeter, working with Prof. Peter Cox in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Exeter and Prof. Peter Mumby in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland. I completed my undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Physics at the University of Bristol (MSci, 1st).