Helen Roy

{{short description|British ecologist and entomologist}}

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{{Infobox scientist

| honorific_prefix = Professor

| name = Helen Roy

| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE|FRES}}

| image = EU2024BE on 14-3-2024 - Border controls on Invasive Alien Species (53589265401).jpg

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| caption = Helen Roy in 2024.

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|6 November 1969}}

| birth_place = Plymouth, England

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| citizenship = United Kingdom

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| fields = {{hlist|Ecology|entomology|aphids|non-native species|science communication}}

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| alma_mater = University of Southampton
University of Nottingham

| thesis_title = Interactions between aphid predators and the entomopathogenic fungus Erynia neoaphidis

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| thesis_year = 1997

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Helen Elizabeth Roy, {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|MBE|FRES}} (born 6 November 1969) is a British ecologist, entomologist, and academic, specialising in ladybirds and non-native species. Since 2007, she has been a principal scientist and ecologist at the NERC's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. From 1997 to 2008, she taught at Anglia Ruskin University, rising to the rank of Reader in Ecology. She is the co-organiser of the UK Ladybird Survey, alongside Dr Peter Brown, is a visiting professor in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, is co-chair of the IPBES assessment of invasive alien species, and is a past President of the Royal Entomological Society.{{cite web |title=Roy, Dr Helen Elizabeth |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-290884 |website=Who's Who 2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |accessdate=30 April 2019 |date=1 December 2018}}{{cite web |title=Prof. Helen Elizabeth Roy |url=https://www.ceh.ac.uk/staff/helen-roy |website=Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |accessdate=30 April 2019 |language=en |date=1 December 2014}}{{cite web |title=Visiting professor made a MBE in New Year Honours |url=https://www.reading.ac.uk/news-and-events/releases/PR753651.aspx |website=University of Reading |accessdate=30 April 2019 |date=5 January 2018}}{{cite web |title=Celebrating and promoting the science of entomology |url=https://www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-media/blogs/celebrating-and-promoting-science-entomology |website=UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |accessdate=3 June 2020 |date=3 June 2020}}

Early life and education

Roy was born on 6 November 1969 in Plymouth, England. She was educated at Cowes High School, a state secondary school on the Isle of Wight. From 1989 to 1992, she studied biology at the University of Southampton, graduating with an upper-second class Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. From 1993 to 1994, she studied environmental science at the University of Nottingham, graduating with a Master of Science (MSc) degree.{{cite web |title=Helen Roy |url=https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6050-679X |website=ORCID |accessdate=30 April 2019 |date=15 March 2019}} She remained at Nottingham to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, which she completed in 1997 with a doctoral thesis titled "Interactions between aphid predators and the entomopathogenic fungus Erynia neoaphidis".{{cite thesis |last1=Roy |first1=Helen Elizabeth |title=Interactions between aphid predators and the entomopathogenic fungus Erynia neoaphidis. |url=https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.362048 |website=E-Thesis Online Service |publisher=The British Library Board |accessdate=30 April 2019 |date=1997|type=Ph.D }}

Honours

Roy was awarded the 2012 Silver Medal by the Zoological Society of London "for contributions to the scientific understanding of ladybird ecology and conservation".{{cite web |title=Recipients of the Silver Medal |url=https://www.zsl.org/sites/default/files/media/2018-06/ZSL%20Silver%20Medal%20Winners.pdf |website=The Zoological Society of London |accessdate=30 April 2019 |date=June 2018 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184259/https://www.zsl.org/sites/default/files/media/2018-06/ZSL%20Silver%20Medal%20Winners.pdf |url-status=dead }} In the 2018 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for services to biodiversity research, science communication and citizen science".{{London Gazette |issue= 62150 |date= 30 December 2017 |pages= N15-N22 |supp= y }} In 2020 she was awarded the British Ecological Society's Ecological Engagement Award for her work in citizen science and public engagement.{{cite web |title=Announcing the 2020 British Ecological Society award winners |url=https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/announcing-the-2020-british-ecological-society-award-winners/ |website=The British Ecological Society |accessdate=28 August 2020 |date=August 2020}}

Selected works

{{Scholia}}

  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Roy |editor1-first=Helen E. |editor2-last=Wajnberg |editor2-first=Eric |title=From biological control to invasion : the ladybird harmonia axyridis as a model species |date=2008 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1402069383}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Majerus |first1=Michael |author1-link= Michael Majerus |editor1-last=Roy |editor1-first=Helen |editor2-last=Brown |editor2-first=Peter |title=A natural history of ladybird beetles |date=2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-1107116078}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Roy |first1=Helen |last2=Brown |first2=Peter |title=Field Guide to the Ladybirds of Great Britain and Ireland |date=2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Wildlife |location=London |isbn=978-1472935687}}

References

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