Professor Carly Stevens
Professor in Plant Ecology and Soil BiogeochemistryResearch Overview
Carly is a plant ecologist and soil biogeochemist with an interest in how global change is impacting on our environment. In particular she is interested in how atmospheric nitrogen deposition is impacting on ecosystems and how they function and in limestone pavements.
Published research
Carly’s work includes over 160 peer reviewed journal papers (see link above), including a paper on how atmospheric nitrogen deposition is reducing plant species richness in the UK which was published in Science in 2004 and has been cited more than 1000 times. Since then she has published several other papers in high impact journals such as Science and Nature.
Carly’s research touches on a number of aspects of global change and conservation management with a focus on how ecosystems are impacted.
Carly has received funding for her research from a range of organisations including:
- Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC),
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Leverhulme Trust
Current research
Carly is academic director of the Waitrose Collaborative training partnership. Carly’s current research projects include:
- NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship on conserving limestone pavements
- Nutrient Network and DRAGnet
- Soil health and restoration in a Circular Economy for Mineral-based Construction Materials
Roles
Carly is currently:
- associate editor for the British Ecological Society journal Functional Ecology
- a review panel member for NERC
- Trustee for the Ecological Continuity Trust
- A member of the university promotions committee
- University representative on the Morecambe Bay Local Nature Partnership
Teaching
Carly’s teaching includes:
- Leading a field based Masters course on vegetation survey as part of the Master’s level programme
- Ecology Field Skills course for second year undergraduate students
- Contributions to undergraduate modules
Farming and sustainability in Ireland and Northern Ireland
01/05/2024 → 30/04/2025
Research
Building Partnerships to Conserve Limestone Pavements
01/01/2024 → 31/12/2026
Research
Mitigating impacts of nitrogen deposition on grassland and heathland
25/09/2023 → 24/06/2024
Research
Hanson in the Community Monetary Donation
01/07/2023 → 30/09/2025
Research
Mapping Soils in Montserrat
21/12/2022 → 24/03/2023
Research
Mitigating impacts of N deposition from roads - initial stages
01/11/2022 → 31/03/2023
Research
Nitrogen deposition from roads: Mitigating and offsetting impacts on sites of conservation importance
01/03/2022 → 30/04/2022
Research
Assessing spatiotemporal relationships between atmospheric nitrogen pollution (and other factors) and invertebrate (especially butterfly)
01/10/2021 → 30/09/2023
Research
Travel Grant - Limestone pavements
01/04/2021 → 31/07/2021
Research
Science Hunters: Strategic Collaboration with Lancaster University
01/08/2020 → 31/07/2023
Research
COVID-19: Delivering Remote Outreach to Schools
15/06/2020 → 31/03/2021
Research
Investing in the future of science - assessing engagement with school-age children
01/11/2019 → 31/03/2020
Research
Revealing Long-Term Change in Vegetation Landscapes: The English Lake District and Beyond
01/11/2019 → 30/09/2022
Research
Can we reduce the use of single use plastics in food production?
01/10/2019 → 30/09/2023
Research
Elsevier Community Grant
01/09/2019 → 31/12/2019
Research
Nitrogen Futures
22/08/2019 → 14/05/2020
Research
The Minecraft Periodic Table of Elements
10/06/2019 → 31/07/2020
Research
N8: Mapping the expansion of soft rush (Juncus effusus) in grasslands
07/02/2019 → 31/10/2019
Research
Science Hunters
01/02/2019 → 30/06/2019
Research
The language of nitrogen: Why is understanding of the environmental challenges caused by nitrogen from agriculture so low?
01/02/2019 → 31/08/2019
Research
Waitrose CTP (BBSRC) : Helena Ripley
01/10/2018 → 30/09/2022
Research
Resistance by adaptation: Does evolution stabilise plant community structure and function under climate change?
10/09/2018 → 30/05/2022
Research
Waitrose Agronomy Group CTP (Waitrose) A100574 Funding
01/11/2017 → 30/09/2023
Research
Presentation of the Survey Project Results
17/09/2012 → 30/09/2012
Research
Ecological Continuity Trust: Establishing a Consortium Application
05/09/2012 → 31/12/2013
Research
Invited presentation
Invited talk
Natural England (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Romanian National Research Council (External organisation)
Membership of committee
NERC (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Jennifer Firn
Hosting an academic visitor
Invited presentation
Invited talk
Functional Ecology (Journal)
Editorial activity
Invited presenation
Invited talk
Invited presenation
Invited talk
- Innovation for a better environment
- Soil Plant and Land Systems
- Sustainable Catchments
- Understanding a changing planet