Abigail Starkey

About me

I am an alumna of Queen Mary University of London. I read my undergraduate degree in BSc Biology and later specialised with a postgraduate in MSc Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. My academic background initially focused on the core principles of Biology, and ultimately developed a deeper understanding of biological systems and their cascades during my specialisation. I have enjoyed studying the micro-components of life which scale up to the processes which form the large-scale functions of ecological systems and our environment.

My research

I am a PhD student at the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, working on the MISTRA BioPath project and a member of the Agenda 2030 Graduate School. My research focuses on credibly mapping the impact of agricultural practice and management on biodiversity. Through analyses of existing data, my project aims to investigate how sensitive assessments and certifications are to the choice of indicator, and to what extent the choice of indicator reflects the biodiversity values that producers intend to capture with the systems. My research aims to develop methods for a certification that relate agricultural land use and management to the subsequent impacts on biodiversity.

My research strongly ties into the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly zero hunger (SDG 2), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and life on land (SDG 15). I hope that in developing an agri-food certification for biodiversity, this research will indirectly contribute to other sustainable development goals; such as decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), reduced inequality (SDG 10) and climate action (SDG13).