Dr Peter Brown

Peter has worked at Anglia Ruskin University since 2010, initially as a Research Fellow. He became a Lecturer in Zoology in 2011, a Senior Lecturer in 2013 and an Associate Professor in 2022. Prior to joining our University, from 2005 to 2008 Peter worked as an ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). He completed his PhD studying the harlequin ladybird in 2010. Peter works collaboratively with researchers at various institutions in Britain (especially UKCEH and the University of Hull), Europe (e.g. Portugal, Belgium and the Czech Republic) and Chile. He works closely with Prof Helen Roy from UKCEH.

• Ladybird ecology
• The effects of non-native species on native biodiversity
• Utilising citizen science in ecology, e.g. UK Ladybird Survey and COST Action CA17122 (Increasing understanding of alien species through citizen science)
• Global spread and effects of the harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis
• Benefits and risks of exotic biological control agents
• Chalk stream ecology

Peter is a member of our Centre for Ecology, Evolution and the Environment.

• Ladybird ecology
• Insect ecology
• Citizen science

Peter would be pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD researchers.

Find out more about our Biology PhD including our exciting PhD project opportunities.

Peter leads two postgraduate modules, ‘Distributions, Landscapes & Conservation’ and ‘Study Tour: Understanding Biodiversity & Sustainability’. He teaches on various other modules including ‘Invertebrate Biology’, ‘Introduction to Ecology & Conservation’ and ‘Field Skills in Biology’.

• PhD: The spread of the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Europe and its effects on native ladybirds - Anglia Ruskin University (2010)
• BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation - Anglia Ruskin University (2004)

• Co-leader, UK Ladybird Survey
• Membership Secretary and Treasurer, Nature in Cambridgeshire
• Fellow, Royal Entomological Society
• Honorary Fellow, British Naturalists' Association
• Member, British Ecological Society

• Co-investigator, Greater Cambridge Chalk Stream Project

Peyton, J., Rorke, S., Aldridge, D., Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Noble, D., Sewell, J., Adriaens, T., Beckmann, B., Britton, R., Brodie, J., Brown, P.M.J., et al., 2026. Assessing the success of a horizon scanning approach in predicting invasive non-native species. Journal of Applied Ecology 63(1): e70217 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70217

Crowley, L.M., Barclay, M.V.L., Sivell, O., Sivell, D., Roy, H.E. & Brown, P.M.J., The genome sequence of the 14-spot ladybird, Propylea quattuordecimpunctata. Wellcome Open Res. https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.26172.1

Outhwaite, C., Cocker, L., Comont, R.F., White, H.J., Powney, G.D., Turvey, K., Roy, H.E. and Brown, P.M.J., A database of traits for the ladybird species of the United Kingdom. Scientific Data 12: 1708. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05985-8

Alien CSI, 2023. Using citizen science with alien species: a practical guide for project initiators. Available under Creative Commons Zero Universal licence at doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7521429

Meeus, S., Silva‐Rocha, I., Adriaens, T.,Brown, P.M.J., Chartosia, N., Claramunt-López, B., Martinou, A.F., Pocock, M., Preda, C., Roy, H.E., Tricarico, E., Groom, Q., 2023. More than a Bit of Fun: The Multiple Positive Outcomes of a Bioblitz. Bioscience 73(3): 168–181. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biac100

Soares, A.O., Haelewaters, D., Ameixa, O.M.C.C., Borges, I., Brown, P.M.J., Cardoso, P., Evans, E.W., Grez, A.A., Hochkirch, A., Honěk, A., Kulfan, J., Lillebø, A., Gardiner, M., Martinková, Z., Nedvěd, O., Omkar, Roy, H.E., Saxena, S., Shandilya, A., Sentis, A., Skuhrovec, J., Viglášová, S., Zach, P., Zaviezo, T., Losey, J.E., 2022. A roadmap for ladybird conservation and recovery. Conservation Biology37: e13965. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13965

Anđelković, A.A., Lawson Handley, L., Marchante, E., Adriaens, T., Brown, P.M.J., Tricario, E. and Verbrugge, L.N.H., 2022. A review of volunteers' motivations to monitor and control invasive alien species. Neobiota73: 153–175. doi: 3897/neobiota.73.79636

Price-Jones, V., Brown, P.M.J., Adriaens, T., Tricarico, E., Farrow, R.A., Cardoso, A.C., Gervasini, E., Groom, Q., Reyserhove, L., Schade, S., Tsinaraki, C. & Marchante, E., 2022. Eyes on the aliens: citizen science contributes to research, policy and management of biological invasions in Europe. Neobiota78: 1-24. doi: 10.3897/neobiota.78.81476

Brown, P. M. J., Harrower, C., Dean, H. J., Rorke, S. L., Roy, H. E., 2018. Spread of a model invasive alien species - the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis in Britain and Ireland. Scientific Data 5: 180239. doi: 10.1038/sdata.2018.239

Brown, P.M.J., Ladybird community changes and the dominance of the invasive harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis in long-term field studies in East Anglia, England. ENTO ’25 – Royal Entomological Society Annual National Meeting, University of Strathclyde, 9-11 September 2025.

Brown, P.M.J.& Roy, H. E., 2022. XXVI International Congress of Entomology, Helsinki, Finland, 17-22 July 2022. Symposium organiser: Citizen science and alien species. https://ice2020helsinki.fi/

Roy, H. E. & Brown, P.M.J., 2022. Contributions of citizen science to understanding patterns and trends in the distribution of ladybirds in the UK. XXVI International Congress of Entomology, Helsinki, Finland, 17-22 July 2022.

Peter has extensive media experience and has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes. These include The One Show (BBC1), Countryfile Diaries (BBC1), News at Ten (BBC1) and The Today Programme (BBC Radio 4).