Professor Xavier Lambin

FRSE

Chair in Zoology

51cg

Email Address: x.lambin@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number: +44 (0)1224 273259
Office Address: Room 408 Zoology building Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ Scotland UK
School/Department: School of Biological Sciences

Biography

2016 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh FRSE

2015 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology FRSB

2004 Professor of Ecology, 51cg

1994 Lecturer, Senior Lecturer (1999), Reader in zoology (2002) 51cg

1993 NATO/Royal Society Research Fellow at Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Banchory field Station

1992 PhD University of Louvain & Univ British Columbia, Personal Reseach Fellowship National Foundation for Scientific Research (Belgium)

1988-1991 Visiting Graduate Student, University of British Columbia1986 BSc Zoological Sciences, University of Louvain, First class

1988 MSc Biology, University of Louvain, First class

1987 Visiting Graduate Student, University of Oslo

Recruiting a PhD student in population ecology for October 2026 Start

We are inviting applications for our fully funded, cross institution PhD on

Predicting and managing the spatially asynchronous pulses of herbivorous rodent abundance cascading through ecosystems.

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships: Prof Lambin is currently:

A member of REF 2029 Strategy Group

A member of Anthony & Margaret Johnston Centre for Doctoral Training in Plant Executive Board
External Memberships: Prof Lambin is currently:

A member of Biological Sciences

A member of

A member of Independent Technical Advisory Group

Scientific advisor to and a member of Steering Group

A member of the Advisory Group

A member of

Prizes and Awards

2025 Nature of Scotland Awards:

2024 Project CONTAIN Research prize - 51cg Principal's Prizes for Research & Engagement Interdisciplinary Research Award (joint winners) (2024)

2019 RSPB Nature of Scotland Conservation Science Award Highly Commended: Large scale participatory control of invasive mink in Scotland (representing consortium)

2017 Winner of the NE Scotland Biodiversity partnership 20th anniversary Collaboration project award.

2016 Watson Raptor Science Prize for the best paper on raptor science published in an international peer reviewed journal in 2015 as senior author of paper led by PhD student Sarah Hoy.

2015 51cg Principal prize for public engagement with research “Outstanding achievement senior award”

2011 Certificate of recognition SNH “Special contribution to species conservation in Scotland”, Minister of the Environment, Scottish government.

Research

Research Overview

I conduct ecological and multi-disciplinary socio-ecological research aimed at providing strong empirical evidence for practical solutions to pressing conservation issues.

My ecological research aims are to understand

the contribution of dispersal to the dynamics of populations,

to understand how the outcome of trophic interactions is modified by dispersal and

to apply population ecology to wildlife management and conservation.

I achieve these aims by conducting large scale, often long-term field studies with birds and mammals as well as by linking theoretical insights with empirical findings using state of the art statistical techniques.

I work with e.g. water vole metapopulations, cyclic field voles, their birds of prey predators, food plants and parasites in commercial forests and non-native American mink culled as part of conservation efforts, forest ecosystem managed for timber or transformed for rewilding, rats in Madagascar, non-native pines wasps and mink in South America and people.

I am invested in conservation biology, including the management of invasive species and rewilding. I research how to optimise the impact of conservation volunteers. I collaborate with multiple NGOs over many years.

Research Areas

Biological and Environmental Sciences

Supervising

View Research Area

Research Specialisms

Applied Statistics
Community Ecology
Ecology
Population Biology
Population Ecology

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is , published under the licence.

Current Research

ResearcherID:

E-8284-2011

Density-dependent recruitment but not survival drives cyclic dynamics in a field vole population

For 101 years, ecologists have sought to explain the 3-4 years multi-annual cycles of voles and lemmings. Oddly, debates on the demographic phenomenon that underpin multi-annual cycles have largely taken place in the absence of demographic data. In our paper, we find that Density-dependent recruitment, especially early in the breeding season, but not survival drives cyclic dynamics in a field vole population, overturning accepted wisdom.

Collaborations

Dr Sandra Telfer (water vole metapopulations, disease dynamics); Prof Mike Begon (University of Liverpool)

Cyclic Vole demography

Prof Madan Oli University of Florida

Statistical ecology

Dr Chris Sutherland (Univ St Andrews);

Kenny Kortland (pine martens, wood ants, squirrels, Forest Scotland)

Supervision

My current supervision areas are: Biological and Environmental Sciences.

Current students

Anna Kellner (2021-2026) Rewilding and the return of interacting meso-predators: Understanding, modelling and monitoring predator-prey dynamics in non-equilibrium ecosystems. Lead
Elouise Mayall (2022-2026) Searching for a bit of peace and quiet despite unreliable cues: dispersal, settlement, and fitness of a top predator in multi-use forests. Lead
Albert Bonet Bigata (2022-2026) Optimising the long-term control of invasive American mink from catchment to coast: how many mink is too many? Lead
Leah Gray (2022-2026) Developing effective agricultural wetland management to reduce predation and improve wader breeding outcomes. 2nd supervisor
Amber Cowans (2022-2026) How do recreational activities alter spatiotemporal species interaction networks, and can this knowledge assist in promoting pro-environmental behaviour? 2nd supervisor
Emily Legge (2022-2026) The effect of Changing Soundscapes on Trophic Interactions. 2nd supervisor
Rosie Irwin-Holbrey (2023-2027) When is a wild-living cat a wildcat? Using carnivore guild interactions to decipher ecological function. Lead
Seunyeon Lee (2024-2028) The demography and dynamics of Tawny owl populations linked by dispersal and experiencing spatially variable food limitation and predation: a 40 year study. Lead
Oliver Hartley (2024-2028) Developing an efficient and accessible “data-to-decision” pipeline for remotely sensed biodiversity monitoring data. 2nd supervisor
Sarah Rehman (2024-2028) Dispersal and local selection in metapopulations 2nd supervisor
Eleonor Foster Native, or invasive? Ancestry, drivers of population density, and public perceptions of feral pigs in Scotland. 2nd supervisor

Past PhD and MPhil students 42 PhD and 6 MRes students supervised with 100 % completion rate within 4 year timeline. 29 now as academic or researchers in universities private sector or government.

Sandra Telfer MSc (1997); MSc (1997); (1998); (1998); (1998); (1998); Julie MacKnight (1999) MSc; (2001); Sandra Telfer (2000); (2001); MPhil (2002); (2002); (2003); (2003) MSc; (2004); (2004); (2004); (2005); Kenneth Kortland (2005) MSc; (2005); (2006); (2007); (2010); (2007); (2009); (2010); (2010); (2013); (2013); (2014); (2014); (2015); Marie Pages (2016); Rupert Houghton (2017); William Morgan (2018); Ewan McHenry (2018); Ruth Rodriguez (2018);Richard Hassall (2019); Deon Roos (2021); Ruben Bernardo Madrid (2021); Joseph Drake (2021); Cristian Navarro Waggershauser (2021); Kathryn Scobie (2022); Irilena Linardaki (2023) MRes; Keziah Hobson (2023); Katie August (2023); Laura MacKenzie (2023); Holly Accacia Broadhurst (2023); Jack Bamber (2025)

Supervisees

MS ANNA KELLNER
MR ALBERT BONET BIGATA
MISS LEAH GRAY
ROSIE IRWIN HOLBREY
CLARE PITT
MS ELOUISE MAYALL
MS SEUNGYEON LEE

Funding and Grants

Current funding

2025-2028 Impact of mink on seabirds Ossian Offshore Wind Farm Limited

2024-2026 Ecosystems in flux: synthesising a 40 year multi species study Leverhulme Trust

2024-2031 NETGAIN: developing the science and practice of nature markets for a net positive future; NERC DLA Consortium PhD award

2024 Hebridean Mink Project – Strategic Review; Scottish Natural Heritage

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

I am presently on research leave

Publications

Update

51cg

Biography

Recruiting a PhD student in population ecology for October 2026 Start

Memberships and Affiliations

Prizes and Awards

Research Overview

Research Areas

Biological and Environmental Sciences

Research Specialisms

Current Research

Density-dependent recruitment but not survival drives cyclic dynamics in a field vole population

Collaborations

Supervision

Supervisees

Funding and Grants

Teaching Responsibilities

On the merits and pitfalls of introducing a digital platform to aid conservation management: Volunteer data submission and the mediating role of volunteer coordinators

The challenges of long-term invasive mammal management: lessons from the UK

Fishing for mammals: Landscape‐level monitoring of terrestrial and semi‐aquatic communities using eDNA from riverine systems

Trophic transfer of pesticides: The fine line between predator–prey regulation and pesticide–pest regulation

Body size and habitat use of the common weasel Mustela nivalis vulgaris in Mediterranean farmlands colonised by common voles Microtus arvalis

Fluctuations in age structure and their variable influence on population growth

Proximate causes and fitness consequences of double brooding in female barn owls

Quantifying the contribution of immigration to population dynamics: a review of methods, evidence and perspectives in birds and mammals

Numerical response of a mammalian specialist predator to multiple prey dynamics in Mediterranean farmlands

Colonisation dynamics during range expansion is poorly predicted by dispersal in the core range

Advances in population ecology and species interactions in mammals

Zoonotic pathogens in fluctuating common vole (Microtus arvalis) populations: occurrence and dynamics

Unintentional effects of environmentally-friendly farming practices: arising conflicts between zero-tillage and a crop pest, the common vole (Microtus arvalis)

Drivers of survival in a small mammal of conservation concern: An assessment using extensive genetic non-invasive sampling in fragmented farmland

Empowered communities or "cheap labour"?: Engaging volunteers in the rationalised management of invasive alien species in Great Britain

Population-level manipulations of field vole densities induce subsequent changes in plant quality but no impacts on vole demography

Ecological traps for large-scale invasive species control: Predicting settling rules by recolonising American mink post-culling

"Got rats?" Global environmental costs of thirst for milk include acute biodiversity impacts linked to dairy feed production

The enemy of my enemy is my friend: Native pine marten recovery reverses the decline of the red squirrel by suppressing grey squirrel populations

The contribution of flight capability to the post-fledging dependence period of golden eagles

Control of an invasive species: The American mink in Great Britain

The population dynamics of bite-sized predators: Prey dependence, territoriality, and mobility

Irruptive mammal host populations shape tularemia epidemiology

Boom-bust dynamics in biological invasions: towards an improved application of the concept

Density-dependent increase in superpredation linked to food limitation in a recovering population of northern goshawks, Accipiter gentilis

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