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Dr Helen Shaw

Formerly at Lancaster University

Helen Shaw

Research Interests

Helen is a palaeoecologist with an interest in long-term vegetation change. She is currently working on an interdisciplinary Leverhulme funded research project "Post-medieval vegetation change and grazing management in an upland landscape" (2009-2012) and is examining the vegetation history of the upper Ribblesdale area via pollen analyses from network of small scale peat basins in collaboration with Professor Ian Whyte (PI) who is undertaking research into the documentary history of changes in land management. Helen also has an interest in understanding the pollen-vegetation relationship and is a member of the NordForsk POLLANDCAL network. She is also working on a small project understanding the pollen-vegetation relationship in upland oak woodlands.

 

After completing her two degrees (1997 and 1998) Helen worked as a Science Programmes Assistant at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford , working across a range of programmes including the IGBP GCTE Focus 3 programme, the UNESCO UK MAB Secretariat, and the NERC URGENT Thematic Programme.

Helen then moved to the University of Stirling to follow her interest in palaeoecology via a PhD investigating the history of the wonderful and highly valued relict Glen Affric pine woods.

From 2004 Helen joined the International Centre for the Uplands in Cumbria and worked there as a Post Doctoral Research Officer for four years from 2004 to 2008, firstly under the management of Lancaster University and then transferred to the University of Cumbria. Whilst at the Centre Helen was involved in a range of interdisciplinary research and played a major part in the initiation, organisation and administration of a range of conferences including "Sustainable Uplands: Future Scenarios for People, Environment, and Landscape", "Adapting Upland Ecosystem Services to Climate Change Planning for the Future at Community Level" and "Resilience or transformation? Social-ecological systems in upland cultural landscapes".

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