Background

I am a post-doctoral research associate in the Modelling, Evidence and Policy group at Newcastle. 

Google Scholar profile

Twitter profile

I have a strong interest in reproducible research with open workflows for data management and statistical analysis in science - see my github profile. I have taught R programming skills to students from undergraduate to PhD level, and I am also a co-organiser of the Newcastle chapter of R-Ladies, to increase diversity in the programming community.

Academic Background

My PhD thesis was focused on the Value of Information for conservation decision-making, a method to assess when to collect more data to identify optimal management actions, and when to take action, as further data would not lead to a change in the optimal management strategy. I undertook a systematic review of the Value of Information in ecology and conservation, published in Biological Reviews. I also developed strong data manipulation and visualisation as well as modelling skills through my PhD. For example, I merged large datasets of plant extinction risk with plant trait data and occurrence records, then classified extinction risk of plants globally  and for an area of Brazil using Bayesian Networks and Random Forest models. This work was done in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Research

I am a conservation scientist interested in how we can protect biodiversity whilst balancing this with the needs of people. My work relates to global biodiversity policy, with a focus on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)'s Aichi Targets, the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

CBD's Aichi Targets and the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework

I coordinate the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Biodiversity Post-2020 Targets Task Force that works to assess progress towards the Aichi Targets and how we can ensure species conservation in future CBD targets. As part of this work, I currently investigate which threats to species are addressed through different policy targets. Previous to this project I led on a paper to estimate  which bird and mammal species have been prevented from going extinct globally through conservation action, using a Delphi expert elicitation protocol - see the publication.

Evidence Synthesis

Throughout my PhD and post-doc I have led and been involved with a range of projects using evidence synthesis methods such as systematic reviews and meta-analysis. I have worked with collaborators at Newcastle University and the Norsk Institutt for Naturforskning (NINA) at Trondheim, Norway, on a paper published in Nature Ecology and Evolution on reducing research waste. I have taught meta-analysis to PhD students during a 2-day course, the results of which are published in the Journal of Flood Risk Management. 

Teaching

Conservation and Ecology

I have supervised four BSc and three MSc projects, and have taught on the BIO2028 module on Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation.

R teaching

I have taught R skills to students from BSc to PhD level, and as part of the Newcastle R-ladies meetup. Courses included:

• Introduction to R
• Data Visualisation
• Data Manipulation with the tidyverse

See examples of courses on my github page.

Publications

• Bolam FC, Mair L, Angelico M, Brooks TM, Burgman M, Hermes C, Hoffmann M, Martin RW, McGowan PJK, Rodrigues ASL, Rondinini C, Westrip JRS, Wheatley H, Bedolla Guzman Y, Calzada J, Child MF, Cranswick PA, Dickman CR, Fessl B, Fisher DO, Garnett ST, Groombridge JJ, Johnson CN, Kennerley RJ, King SRB, Lamoreux JF, Lees AC, Lens L, Mahood SP, Mallon DP, Meijaard E, Mendez Sanchez F, Percequillo AR, Regan TJ, Renjifo LM, Rivers MC, Roach NS, Roxburgh L, Safford RJ, Salaman PS, Squires T, Vazquez Dominguez E, Visconti P, Woinarski JCZ, Young RP, Butchart SHM. How many bird and mammal extinctions has recent conservation action prevented?. Conservation Letters 2020, 14(1), e12762.
• Williams BA, Watson JEM, Butchart SHM, Ward M, Brooks TM, Butt N, Bolam FC, Stuart SN, Mair L, McGowan PJK, Gregory R, Hilton-Taylor C, Mallon D, Harrison I, Simmonds JS. A robust goal is needed for species in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Conservation Letters 2021, e12778.
• Walker BE, Leão TCC, Bachman SP, Bolam FC, Nic Lughadha E. Caution Needed When Predicting Species Threat Status for Conservation Prioritization on a Global Scale. Frontiers in Plant Science 2020, 11, 520.
• Grainger MJ, Bolam FC, Stewart GB, Nilsen EB. Evidence synthesis for tackling research waste. Nature Ecology & Evolution 2020, 4, 495-497.
• Bolam FC, Grainger MJ, Mengersen KL, Stewart GB, Sutherland WJ, Runge MC, McGowan PJK. Using the Value of Information to improve conservation decision making. Biological Reviews 2019, 94(2), 629-647.
• Carrick J, Abdul Rahim MSAB, Adjei C, Ashraa Kalee HHH, Banks SJ, Bolam FC, Campos Luna IM, Clark B, Cowton J, Domingos IFN, Golicha DD, Gupta G, Grainger M, Hasanaliyeva G, Hodgson DJ, Lopez-Capel E, Magistrali AJ, Merrell IG, Oikeh I, Othman MS, Ranathunga Mudiyanselage TKR, Samuel CWC, Sufar EKH, Watson PA, Zakaria NNAB, Stewart G. Is planting trees the solution to reducing flood risks?. Journal of Flood Risk Management 2019, 12(S2), e12484.