Chloe MacLaren

RESEARCH SUBJECT AND INTERESTS

  • Agroecology
  • Functional ecology
  • Weeds
  • Cover crops

My project title is ‘agroecosystem resilience to weeds’ and I am exploring how farm management influences weed abundance and weed community composition. I am also investigating agroecological techniques to manage weeds, including cover crops and crop rotations. I hope that my work will contribute to reducing both herbicide use and tillage, and also to increasing crop diversity in farms: this would lead to more resilient agroecosystems through restoring ecological functioning and reducing reliance on external inputs. My project is based in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Supervisory Team:

Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz (Director of Studies)
James Bennett
Julia Wright

Chloe-Profile-Picp.png

PhD Student

Building: Ryton Gardens

Email: maclarec@coventry.ac.uk

Research Gate

BIOGRAPHY

I have a background in vegetation ecology, and before arriving at Coventry University I worked in the Sultanate of Oman on conservation projects. My main role was to identify the cause of decline of the Zeravshan Juniper (Juniperus seravschanica) in Oman, a species that now seems likely to disappear from Oman within the next few decades due to rapid climate change.

I began my research career in New Zealand, and I hold a BSc from the University of Auckland and an MSc from Lincoln University. My MSc also involved an exchange semester in Germany, and nearly a year collecting data from cloudforests and montane pastures in the Ecuador.

Awards and Grants:

Coventry University PhD Studentship

Languages:

English, Spanish

Professional Memberships:

British Ecological Society, Grassland Society of Southern Africa

 Queen’s Award for Enterprise Logo
University of the year shortlisted
QS Five Star Rating 2023