Jenny Dunn

Biography

Jenny obtained her PhD in avian ecology from the University of Leeds in 2010, working on anti-predator behaviours and their consequences in farmland birds. During her PhD she spent a brief time working with Prof John Quinn (now at UCC) at Oxford University working on avian personality and parasite infection. She then left academia, moving to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, where she worked as a Conservation Scientist for 6 years, focussing on developing management solutions for the conservation of European Turtle Dove. Until this point, she had been focussed on avian ecology, working on haemoparasites as side projects. In 2016 she took up a lectureship at the University of Lincoln, where her lab worked on the ecology and diversity of parasite infection in avian systems. She moved to Keele University in summer 2024, where her lab works on a range of projects involving avian parasite and pathogen ecology, and the impacts of humans on these systems. Since the end of 2023 she has been Action Chair for the Wildlife Malaria Network, an EU COST-funded global network focussed on uniting research efforts of those working on malaria parasites in wildlife.

Research and scholarship

The Avian Parasite and Pathogen Ecology lab examines the ecology of avian host-parasite/pathogen interactions, along with the impact humans can have on these associations. We work under three key research themes:

Host-parasite/pathogen interactions

Under this theme, we are interested in the relationships, impacts and epidemiology of parasite and pathogen infections on their hosts. Current projects include:

• Prevalence and diversity of Lankesterella infection in UK passerines (MSc by Research student Louise Cook, funded by The Royal Society)
• Morphological and molecular species identification of Haemoproteus parasites (PhD student Misa Shimizu, funded by the Nature Research Centre)
• Prevalence and diversity of Trichomonas gallinae infection in Hawfinches, Coccothraustes coccothraustes (MSc by Research student Liam Benwell, funded by the RSPB and Natural England)
• Epidemiology of blood parasite infection in mute swans Cygnus olor (MSc by Research student Emily Simpkins)
• Diversity of parasites in island endemics

Host-parasite-vector community dynamics

Under this theme, we examine host-parasite interactions at the level of the bird community, examining specialism/generalism in both parasites and hosts, the emergence and disappearance of generalist parasite lineages, and potential drivers of host-switching. We are also interested in the community dynamics of parasite infection and vector transmission across host and mosquito species, and how these dynamics are influence by environmental variation. Current projects include:

• Exploring temporal variation in the prevalence of generalist haemosporidian parsites (funded by The Houghton Trust)
• Diversity of haemoparasite infection in a Gambian bird community (MPhil student Oliver Nuttall, part-funded by The Houghton Trust)
• Identification of competent mosquito vectors for avian malaria transmission in the UK (funded by The Royal Society)
• Patterns, drivers and consequences of pathogen and parasite coinfection

One Health

Under this theme, we are interested in the impact that humans can have on avian-parasite/pathogen relationships, usually through supplementary feeding – and in turn, the impact of avian parasites/pathogens on people. Current projects include:

• Between well-being benefits and health risks: Exploring human-bird interactions during an avian influenza crisis in the UK (PhD student Raul Lobo, funded by a SENSS DTP)
• The Lincoln Swan Project
• Quantifying the prevalence of AMR in wild birds and at garden bird feeders

Further details
Wildlife Malaria Network
Wimanet-science

Lincoln Swan Project

Lab webpage

Teaching

Level 4

LSC-10095 Animal Health and Disease

Level 5

LSC-20073 Microbes, Viruses and Parasites

Level 7

LSC-40119 Advanced Research Topics in Infectious Diseases

Further information

Academic Leadership Roles
- 2024 - current: member of the School Ethics Committee, School of Life Sciences, Keele University
- 2023 – 2027: Action Chair, Wildlife Malaria Network (WIMANET) COST Action
- 2022 – 2024: Postgraduate Research co-Lead, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln
- 2022 – 2024: member of the School of Life Sciences EDI committee, University of Lincoln
- 2020 – 2022: Chair: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee (formerly the Athena SWAN committee), School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln
- 2018 - current: PI, Lincoln Swan Project. Community Science Project

External Professional Activities
- 2025: Invited keynote address International Congress on Parasites of Wildlife, South Africa
- 2025: Scientific organising committee, International Eurasian Ornithology Congress, Iaşi, Romania
- 2024: Invited plenary, VI International Conference on Malaria and other Blood Parasites of Wildlife, Colombia Nov 2024
- 2024: Scientific organising committee, 6th International Conference on Malaria and related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife, Medellín, Colombia
- 2023 – current: Subject editor, Journal of Avian Biology
- 2022: Scientific organising committee, 5th International Conference on Malaria and related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife, Bielefeld, Germany
- 2020 - current: UKRI Future Leader Fellowships Peer Review College member
- 2018 – current: Associate Editor, Parasitology
- 2018 – 2022: member, British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) Engagement Committee
- 2018 – 2022: member, BOU Equality & Diversity Working Group
- 2016 – current: advisor, Operation Turtle Dove Technical group
- 2016 - current: Associate Editor for Journal of Animal Ecology

Supervision

Current Students

Claudio Navarrete, PhD student, 2024 – 2028. “Spatial and temporal variation in Leucocytozoon infection in passerine birds, as determined by morphological and molecular analysis”. Based at the Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania. Funded by the NRC.

Oliver Nuttall, MPhil student, 2024 – 2026. “Diversity and immunological responses to infection by haemosporidians in Gambian birds”. Keele University. Part-funded by The Houghton Trust.

Raul Lobo, PhD student, 2024 – 2028. “Between well-being benefits and health risks: Exploring human-bird interactions during an avian influenza crisis in the UK”. Based at the University of Lincoln, UK. Funded by a SENSS DTP studentship.

Misa Shimizu, PhD student, 2023 – 2027. “Species inferences of Haemoproteus parasites using morphological and molecular methods”. Based at the Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania. Funded by the NRC.

Louise Cook, MSc by Research student, 2023 – 2025. “Prevalence, diversity and host impacts of Lankesterella infection in passerine birds”. Based at the University of Lincoln, UK. Part funded by The Royal Society.

Collaborations and grants awards

Research Funding

2024 - 2028: Nature Research Centre, Lithuania. Funding for a PhD student working on “Spatial and temporal variation in Leucocytozoon infection in passerine birds, as determined by morphological and molecular analysis”. Funding covers tuition fees, research costs and student stipend. Co-supervisor Dr Carolina Chagas, NRC.

2024 - 2026. The Houghton Trust, PI. “Exploring temporal variation in the prevalence of generalist haemosporidian parasites”. £5,160.00.

2023 - 2027. European Co-operation in Science & Technology (EU COST), PI. “WIMANET: Wildlife Malaria Network”. ~€500,000.00.

2023 - 2027: Nature Research Centre, Lithuania. Funding for a PhD student working on “Species inferences of Haemoproteus parasites using morphological and molecular methods”. Funding covers tuition fees, research costs and student stipend. Co-supervisor Dr Carolina Chagas, NRC.

2023. University of Lincoln Undergraduate Research Opportunities Scheme, PI. Joint application with Raul Lobo (undergraduate) and Dr Laetitia Marechal). £1,000.00

2023: University of Lincoln pump-priming grant, PI. “Quantifying exposure to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the Lincoln Swan population”, CoI Dr Laetitia Marechal, School of Psychology, UoL. £4,609.50

2022: The Royal Society, International Exchanges Scheme, PI. “Prevalence, diversity and host impacts of Lankesterella infection in passerine birds” CoI: Dr Carolina Chagas, Nature Research Centre, Lithuania. £11,169.00

2021: Natural England: “Trichomomas gallinae in UK Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes populations” £7,500

2019: NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Sheffield: “Ecological predictors of co-infection and phylogenetic relationships between co-infecting haemosporidian parasites”. £14,566.91

2018: Royal Society Research Grant “Impact of environmental variation on host-vector-parasite interactions” £15,000

2015. RSPB Nature Recovery Fund. “Developing novel methodology for dietary analysis in temperate granivores” £5,000

2014: NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility (led by Dr Simon Goodman, University of Leeds): “Molecular epidemiology of multi-parasite co-infections in Turtle Doves” £20,000

2013: RSPB-NE grant for PhD project (University of Leeds) “Ecology and transmission of Trichomonas gallinae in the rapidly declining Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur and co-occurring UK and African columbiformes” £67,500

2012: BOU Research Grant: “Could disease be contributing to the population decline of the European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur?: Trichomonas gallinae infection in Nigeria and potential for transmission among co-occurring African columbiformes” £2,000

2012: African Bird Club Research Grant: “Could disease be contributing to the population decline of the European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur?: Trichomonas gallinae infection in Nigeria and potential for transmission among co-occurring African columbiformes” £1,500

2008: British Trust for Ornithology Small Research Grant: A comprehensive analysis of the techniques used in ageing and sexing the yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella during the non-breeding season.

2005 – 2008: BBSRC Standard PhD Studentship