Dr. K.D. Farnsworth
Lecturer in Theoretical and Applied Ecology
BSc. (Hons) Astrophysics,
University of London 1984;
MSc. Acoustics, Southampton, 1985;
PhD. Mathematical Biology, Edinburgh 1994;
MSc. Public Health Epidemiology, Aberdeen 2002.
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Contact Information
Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 2352 (Direct line)
Fax: +44 (0)28 9097 5877
Email: k.farnsworth@qub.ac.uk
Room: Medical Biology Centre - 6.28
Administrative Responsibilities
Chair of undergraduate Staff-Student Consultative Committee (School of Biological Sciences) 
Member of Education Committee Module Co-ordinator: Environmental Biology (EVB104) Member of Student Support Committee.
Research Interests
My research involves the application of ecological theory to practical problems of real-life importance. A lot of it now concerns fisheries science - vital work if we are to save the world's fisheries from the global collapse they seem to be heading for. A major part of this work is now devoted to the Irish Government's Beaufort Marine research project: An Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management. I also lead research projects on problems in community ecology such as invasive species and community approaches to pests and also on objective value, especially of biodiversity. Previous work on grassland herbivores (for example in the Serengeti Mara) is still of interest.
In general, my team and I are using a variety of theoretical approaches to find real-world solutions to some of the major ecological problems that we face. This work is also being used to create new theories of organism distribution, predator-prey dynamics, life history, and evolution.
Applications
Fisheries
We need to understand marine ecosystems a lot better to avoid over-exploiting them. My work, in collaboration with the Danish Institute of Fisheries Research, contributes to this by reinterpreting predator-prey and competition dynamics in far more realistic terms than previous models allowed. This has recently led to an explanation of how life-history of fish can be changed by selective fishery and on the rate of evolutionary change in the Baltic cod. We intend to extend this work to address the highly topical problem of designing and assessing 'closed areas' and new conservation measures in commercial fisheries.
Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Science
I lead the theoretical component of the Irish Government's Beaufort Marine Research Award in Fisheries Management. The aim is to build the understanding and modelling tools needed to support scientifically based ecological goals for fisheries managers. Relevant community ecology is being developed that will eventually lead to practical and evidence based indicators of marine ecosystem health - indicators that are sensitive to fisheries management measures. Dr Axel Rossberg is our principal researcher on this topic.
Biodiversity Value
What is biodiversity and what is its objective value?
These are not at all trivial questions and require a combination of philosophy, biology, economics and mathematics to solve them. Under the Irish Governments EPA Strive Award scheme, we are bringing all these disciplines together to come up with some answers. This work is mainly pursued by Olga Lyeshevska.
Various PhD. opportunities (for applied mathematicians and biologists) exist in all these areas - please contact for details.
Collaborations
Uffe Høgsbro Thygusen; Jan E Beyer; Ken Haste Anderson (all of the Danish Institute of Fisheries Research) the Beaufort Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management Marine Institute Fisheries Science EU Projects: FACTS MYFISH
Other Information
Member of the European Society of Mathematical and Theoretical Biology.
