![Sarah Perkins](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/7335?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Sarah Perkins
(she/her)
- Media commentator
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Sarah Perkins
Reader
School of Biosciences
Overview
My current research focuses on:
- The role of individuals in infectious disease persistence and invasion
- Social networks and infectious disease dynamics
- Wildlife diseases
- Citizen science
For more details of my citizen science research see https://www.theroadlab.co.uk/
Publication
2026
- Raymond, S. et al. 2026. Identifying hotspots and drivers of wildlife-vehicle collision risk using citizen science data: a case study focused on the European badger Meles meles. Biological Conservation 313 111601. (10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111601)
2025
- Asiri, A. , Perkins, S. E. and Muller, C. 2025. The smell of infection: Disease surveillance in insects using volatile organic compounds. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 27 (1), pp.81-89. (10.1111/afe.12651)
- Cook, N. D. et al. 2025. First record of a piebald leucistic smallspotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula in a special area of conservation, UK. Marine Biodiversity 55 112. (10.1007/s12526-025-01602-4)
- Cook, N. D. et al. 2025. Vertebral elemental composition reveals ontogenetic changes in habitat use in a Northeast Atlantic mesopredator shark. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 319 109255. (10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109255)
- McDowell, D. et al. 2025. Microinvertebrate consumption rates of Fasciola hepatica miracidia are not affected by alternate food.. International Journal for Parasitology 55 (11), pp.595-601. (10.1016/j.ijpara.2025.05.004)
- Michels, E. et al., 2025. The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk. Ecology Letters 28 (4) e70115. (10.1111/ele.70115)
- Reynolds, M. et al. 2025. Parasites alter interaction patterns in fish social networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 292 (2047) 20250793. (10.1098/rspb.2025.0793)
- Yu, H. et al., 2025. Unexpected landscape-scale contemporary gene flow and fine-scale genetic diversity in rural hedgehogs. Conservation Genetics 26 , pp.391-401. (10.1007/s10592-025-01676-4)
2024
- Cook, N. et al. 2024. Temporal niche partitioning as a potential mechanism for coexistence in two sympatric mesopredator sharks. Frontiers in Marine Science 11 1443357. (10.3389/fmars.2024.1443357)
- Cook, N. D. et al. 2024. Elasmobranch diversity around the southern Caribbean island of Tobago: Opportunities for conservation in a regional trade hub. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 104 e8. (10.1017/S0025315423000917)
- Jones, C. B. , Stock, K. and Perkins, S. E. 2024. AI-based discovery of habitats from museum collections. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 39 (4), pp.323-327. (10.1016/j.tree.2024.01.006)
- Raymond, S. , Perkins, S. E. and Garrard, G. 2024. The Species at Risk Act (2002) and transboundary species listings along the US-Canada border. Humanities 13 (1) 38. (10.3390/h13010038)
2023
- Dunkley, K. et al., 2023. The presence of territorial damselfish predicts choosy client species richness at cleaning stations. Behavioral Ecology 34 (2), pp.269-277. arac122. (10.1093/beheco/arac122)
- Moore, L. J. et al., 2023. Demographic effects of road mortality on mammalian populations: a systematic review. Biological Reviews 98 (4), pp.1033-1050. (10.1111/brv.12942)
- Raymond, S. et al. 2023. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on wildlife-vehicle collisions in the UK. Journal of Animal Ecology 92 (6), pp.1244-1255. (10.1111/1365-2656.13913)
2022
- Perkins, S. E. , Shilling, F. and Collinson, W. 2022. Anthropause opportunities: Experimental perturbation of road traffic and the potential effects on wildlife. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10 833129. (10.3389/fevo.2022.833129)
2021
- Edwards, T. et al. 2021. Passive citizen science: The role of social media in wildlife observations. PLoS ONE 16 (8) e0255416. (10.1371/journal.pone.0255416)
- Kent, E. , Schwartz, A. L. W. and Perkins, S. E. 2021. Life in the fast lane: roadkill risk along an urban-rural gradient. Journal of Urban Ecology 7 (1) juzz039. (10.1093/jue/juaa039)
- Raymond, S. et al. 2021. Temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill in the UK. PLoS ONE 16 (10) e0258083. (10.1371/journal.pone.0258083)
- Watson, S. E. et al. 2021. Diet-driven mercury contamination is associated with polar bear gut microbiota. Scientific Reports 11 23372. (10.1038/s41598-021-02657-6)
- Whittey, K. E. et al. 2021. Microhabitats of sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae) cleaning stations and their links with cleaning behaviour. Coral Reefs 40 , pp.1069-1080. (10.1007/s00338-021-02105-x)
2020
- Bíl, M. et al., 2020. Benefits and challenges of collaborating with volunteers: examples from national wildlife roadkill reporting systems in Europe. Journal for Nature Conservation 54 125798. (10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125798)
- Dunkley, K. , Cable, J. and Perkins, S. E. 2020. Consistency in mutualism relies on local, rather than wider community biodiversity. Scientific Reports 10 21255. (10.1038/s41598-020-78318-x)
- Dunkley, K. et al. 2020. To clean or not to clean: cleaning mutualism breakdown in a tidal environment. Ecology and Evolution 10 (6), pp.3043-3054. (10.1002/ece3.6120)
- Watson, S. E. et al. 2020. Parasites of an Arctic scavenger; the wolverine (Gulo gulo). International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 13 , pp.178-185. (10.1016/j.ijppaw.2020.10.004)
- Williams, S. et al. 2020. An evidence-based assessment of the past distribution of Golden and White-tailed Eagles across Wales. Conservation Science and Practice 2 (8) e240. (10.1111/csp2.240)
- Williams Schwartz, A. L. , Shilling, F. M. and Perkins, S. E. 2020. The value of monitoring wildlife roadkill. European Journal of Wildlife Research 66 18. (10.1007/s10344-019-1357-4)
- Wright, P. G. et al., 2020. Predicting hedgehog mortality risks on British roads using habitat suitability modelling. PeerJ 7 e8154. (10.7717/peerj.8154)
2019
- Dunkley, K. et al. 2019. Cleaner personality and client identity have joint consequences on cleaning interaction dynamics. Behavioral Ecology 30 (3), pp.703-712. (10.1093/beheco/arz007)
- Dunkley, K. et al. 2019. Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae). Coral Reefs 38 (2), pp.321-330. (10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9)
- Watson, S. E. et al. 2019. Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota. ISME Journal 13 , pp.2916-2926. (10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2)
2018
- Buck, J. C. and Perkins, S. 2018. Study scale determines whether wildlife loss protects against or promotes tick-borne disease. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285 (1878) 20180218. (10.1098/rspb.2018.0218)
- Dunkley, K. , Cable, J. and Perkins, S. 2018. The selective cleaning behaviour of juvenile blue-headed wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) in the Caribbean. Behavioural Processes 147 , pp.5-12. (10.1016/j.beproc.2017.12.005)
- Jessica, S. , Perkins, S. and Cable, J. 2018. Transmission risk predicts avoidance of infected conspecifics in Trinidadian guppies. Journal of Animal Ecology 87 (6), pp.1525-1533. (10.1111/1365-2656.12885)
- Williams Schwartz, A. et al. 2018. Roadkill scavenging behaviour in an urban environment. Journal of Urban Ecology 4 (1) juy006. (10.1093/jue/juy006)
2017
- Guzzetta, G. et al., 2017. Population dynamics of wild rodents induce stochastic fadeouts of a zoonotic pathogen. Journal of Animal Ecology 86 (3), pp.451-459. (10.1111/1365-2656.12653)
- Madden, J. R. and Perkins, S. E. 2017. Why did the pheasant cross the road? Long-term road mortality patterns in relation to management changes. Royal Society Open Science 4 (10) 170617. (10.1098/rsos.170617)
- McCallum, H. et al., 2017. Breaking beta: deconstructing the parasite transmission function. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 372 (1719) 20160084. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0084)
- Pascoe, E. L. et al. 2017. Network analysis of gut microbiota literature: an overview of the research landscape in non-human animal studies. ISME Journal 11 (12), pp.2644-2651. (10.1038/ismej.2017.133)
- Perkins, S. E. et al. 2017. Parasite community dynamics in an invasive vole - From focal introduction to wave front. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 6 (3), pp.412-419. (10.1016/j.ijppaw.2017.07.005)
- Smallbone, W. et al. 2017. East-West divide: temperature and land cover drive spatial variation of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from England and Wales. Parasitology 144 (11), pp.1433-1440. (10.1017/S0031182017000865)
- Stephenson, J. F. et al., 2017. Host heterogeneity affects both parasite transmission to and fitness on subsequent hosts. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 372 (1719) 20160093. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0093)
- Wilson, A. J. et al., 2017. What is a vector?. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B - Biological Sciences 372 (1719) 20160085. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0085)
2015
- Kreisinger, J. et al., 2015. Interactions between multiple helminths and the gut microbiota in wild rodents. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 370 (1675) 20140295. (10.1098/rstb.2014.0295)
- Pi, C. et al., 2015. Increased biodiversity in the environment improves the humoral response of rats. PLoS ONE 10 (4) e0120255. (10.1371/journal.pone.0120255)
- Sherrard-Smith, E. et al. 2015. Spatial and seasonal factors are key determinants in the aggregation of helminths in their definitive hosts: Pseudamphistomum truncatum in otters (Lutra lutra). International Journal for Parasitology 45 (1), pp.75-83. (10.1016/j.ijpara.2014.09.004)
- Shilling, F. , Perkins, S. E. and Collinson, W. 2015. Wildlife/roadkill observation and reporting systems. In: van der Ree, R. , Smith, D. J. and Grilo, C. eds. Handbook of Road Ecology. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. , pp.492-501. (10.1002/9781118568170.ch62)
2014
- Drewe, J. and Perkins, S. E. 2014. Disease transmission in animal social networks. In: Jens, K. et al., Animal Social Networks. Oxford University Press. , pp.95-110.
2013
- Chadwick, E. A. et al. 2013. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in England and Wales. Parasites & Vectors 6 75. (10.1186/1756-3305-6-75)
- Lass, S. et al., 2013. Generating super-shedders: co-infection increases bacterial load and egg production of a gastrointestinal helminth. Journal of The Royal Society Interface 10 (80) 20120588. (10.1098/rsif.2012.0588)
- Lass, S. et al., 2013. Generating super-shredders: co-infection increases bacterial load and egg production of a gastrointestinal helminth. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 10 (80) 20120588. (10.1098/rsif.2012.0588)
- Van Oosterhout, C. et al., 2013. Invasive freshwater snails provide resource for native marine hermit crabs. Aquatic Invasions 8 (2), pp.185-191. (10.3391/ai.2013.8.2.06)
- White, T. A. et al., 2013. Adaptive evolution during an ongoing range expansion: the invasive bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in Ireland. Molecular Ecology 22 (11), pp.2971-2985. (10.1111/mec.12343)
2012
- Dunn, A. M. et al., 2012. Indirect effects of parasites in invasions. Functional Ecology 26 (6), pp.1262-1274. (10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02041.x)
- Parker, W. et al., 2012. A prescription for clinical immunology: the pills are available and ready for testing. A review. Current Medical Research and Opinion 28 (7), pp.1193-1202. (10.1185/03007995.2012.695731)
- Trama, A. M. et al., 2012. Lymphocyte phenotypes in wild-caught rats suggest potential mechanisms underlying increased immune sensitivity in post-industrial environments. Cellular and Molecular Immunology 9 (2), pp.163-174. (10.1038/cmi.2011.61)
- White, T. A. et al., 2012. Range expansion in an invasive small mammal: influence of life-history and habitat quality. Biological Invasions 14 (10), pp.2203-2215. (10.1007/s10530-012-0225-x)
- White, T. A. , Perkins, S. E. and Dunn, A. 2012. The ecoimmunology of invasive species. Functional Ecology 26 (6), pp.1313-1323. (10.1111/1365-2435.12012)
2011
- Bilbo, S. et al., 2011. Reconstitution of the human biome as the most reasonable solution for epidemics of allergic and autoimmune diseases. Medical Hypotheses 77 (4), pp.494-504. (10.1016/j.mehy.2011.06.019)
- Ferrari, M. et al., 2011. Pathogens, social networks, and the paradox of transmission scaling. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases 2011 267049. (10.1155/2011/267049)
2010
- Fenton, A. and Perkins, S. E. 2010. Applying predator-prey theory to modelling immune-mediated, within-host interspecific parasite interactions. Parasitology 137 (6), pp.1027-1038. (10.1017/S0031182009991788)
- Luong, L. T. et al., 2010. The relative importance of host characteristics and co-infection in generating variation in Heligmosomoides polygyrus fecundity. Parasitology 137 (6), pp.1003-1012. (10.1017/S0031182009991892)
2009
- Calatayud, L. et al., 2009. Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus outbreak in a school in London, April-May 2009: an observational study. Epidemiology and Infection 138 (2), pp.183-191. (10.1017/S0950268809991191)
- Dunham, E. J. et al., 2009. Different evolutionary trajectories of European avian-like and classical swine H1N1 influenza A viruses. Journal of Virology 83 (11), pp.5485-5494. (10.1128/JVI.02565-08)
- Grear, D. , Perkins, S. E. and Hudson, P. 2009. Does elevated testosterone result in increased exposure and transmission of parasites?. Ecology Letters 12 (6), pp.528-537. (10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01306.x)
- Krichbaum, K. , Perkins, S. E. and Gannon, M. 2009. Host-parasite interactions of tropical bats in Puerto Rico. Acta Chiropterologica 11 (1), pp.157-162. (10.3161/150811009X465776)
- Lacharme Lora, L. et al., 2009. Use of bioluminescent bacterial biosensors to investigate the role of free-living helminths as reservoirs and vectors of Salmonella. Environmental Microbiology Reports 1 (3), pp.198-207. (10.1111/j.1758-2229.2009.00031.x)
- Lacharme-Lora, L. et al., 2009. Bacteria isolated from parasitic nematodes - a potential novel vector of pathogens?. Environmental Health 8 (S 1) S17. (10.1186/1476-069X-8-S1-S17)
- Perkins, S. et al. 2009. Comparison of social networks derived from ecological data: Implications for inferring infectious disease dynamics. Journal of Animal Ecology 78 (5), pp.1015-1022. (10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01557.x)
2008
- Lee, L. et al., 2008. Vaccine-era varicella epidemiology and vaccine effectiveness in a public elementary school population, 2002-2007. Pediatrics 121 (6), pp.e1548-e1554. (10.1542/peds.2007-2031)
- Perkins, S. E. , Ferrari, M. F. and Hudson, P. J. 2008. The effects of social structure and sex-biased transmission on macroparasite infection. Parasitology 135 (13), pp.1561-1569. (10.1017/S0031182008000449)
2007
- Rosà, R. et al., 2007. Temporal variation of ixodes ricinus intensity on the rodent host apodemus flavicollis in relation to local climate and host dynamics. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 7 (3), pp.285-295. (10.1089/vbz.2006.0607)
2006
- Dobson, A. et al., 2006. Sacred cows and sympathetic squirrels: the importance of biological diversity to human health. Plos Medicine 3 (6) e231. (10.1371/journal.pmed.0030231)
- Perkins, S. E. and Fenton, A. 2006. Helminths as vectors of pathogens in vertebrate hosts: a theoretical approach. International Journal for Parasitology 36 (8), pp.887-894. (10.1016/j.ijpara.2006.04.001)
2005
- Kallio-Koko, H. et al., 2005. Hantavirus and arenavirus antibody prevalence in rodents and humans in Trentino, Northern Italy. Epidemiology and Infection 134 (04), pp.830. (10.1017/S0950268805005431)
2003
- Perkins, S. E. et al. 2003. Empirical evidence for key hosts in persistence of a tick-borne disease. International Journal for Parasitology 33 (9), pp.909-917. (10.1016/S0020-7519(03)00128-0)
Articles
- Asiri, A. , Perkins, S. E. and Muller, C. 2025. The smell of infection: Disease surveillance in insects using volatile organic compounds. Agricultural and Forest Entomology 27 (1), pp.81-89. (10.1111/afe.12651)
- Bíl, M. et al., 2020. Benefits and challenges of collaborating with volunteers: examples from national wildlife roadkill reporting systems in Europe. Journal for Nature Conservation 54 125798. (10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125798)
- Bilbo, S. et al., 2011. Reconstitution of the human biome as the most reasonable solution for epidemics of allergic and autoimmune diseases. Medical Hypotheses 77 (4), pp.494-504. (10.1016/j.mehy.2011.06.019)
- Buck, J. C. and Perkins, S. 2018. Study scale determines whether wildlife loss protects against or promotes tick-borne disease. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 285 (1878) 20180218. (10.1098/rspb.2018.0218)
- Calatayud, L. et al., 2009. Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus outbreak in a school in London, April-May 2009: an observational study. Epidemiology and Infection 138 (2), pp.183-191. (10.1017/S0950268809991191)
- Chadwick, E. A. et al. 2013. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in England and Wales. Parasites & Vectors 6 75. (10.1186/1756-3305-6-75)
- Cook, N. et al. 2024. Temporal niche partitioning as a potential mechanism for coexistence in two sympatric mesopredator sharks. Frontiers in Marine Science 11 1443357. (10.3389/fmars.2024.1443357)
- Cook, N. D. et al. 2024. Elasmobranch diversity around the southern Caribbean island of Tobago: Opportunities for conservation in a regional trade hub. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 104 e8. (10.1017/S0025315423000917)
- Cook, N. D. et al. 2025. First record of a piebald leucistic smallspotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula in a special area of conservation, UK. Marine Biodiversity 55 112. (10.1007/s12526-025-01602-4)
- Cook, N. D. et al. 2025. Vertebral elemental composition reveals ontogenetic changes in habitat use in a Northeast Atlantic mesopredator shark. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 319 109255. (10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109255)
- Dobson, A. et al., 2006. Sacred cows and sympathetic squirrels: the importance of biological diversity to human health. Plos Medicine 3 (6) e231. (10.1371/journal.pmed.0030231)
- Dunham, E. J. et al., 2009. Different evolutionary trajectories of European avian-like and classical swine H1N1 influenza A viruses. Journal of Virology 83 (11), pp.5485-5494. (10.1128/JVI.02565-08)
- Dunkley, K. , Cable, J. and Perkins, S. 2018. The selective cleaning behaviour of juvenile blue-headed wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) in the Caribbean. Behavioural Processes 147 , pp.5-12. (10.1016/j.beproc.2017.12.005)
- Dunkley, K. et al. 2019. Cleaner personality and client identity have joint consequences on cleaning interaction dynamics. Behavioral Ecology 30 (3), pp.703-712. (10.1093/beheco/arz007)
- Dunkley, K. , Cable, J. and Perkins, S. E. 2020. Consistency in mutualism relies on local, rather than wider community biodiversity. Scientific Reports 10 21255. (10.1038/s41598-020-78318-x)
- Dunkley, K. et al. 2019. Long-term cleaning patterns of the sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae). Coral Reefs 38 (2), pp.321-330. (10.1007/s00338-019-01778-9)
- Dunkley, K. et al. 2020. To clean or not to clean: cleaning mutualism breakdown in a tidal environment. Ecology and Evolution 10 (6), pp.3043-3054. (10.1002/ece3.6120)
- Dunkley, K. et al., 2023. The presence of territorial damselfish predicts choosy client species richness at cleaning stations. Behavioral Ecology 34 (2), pp.269-277. arac122. (10.1093/beheco/arac122)
- Dunn, A. M. et al., 2012. Indirect effects of parasites in invasions. Functional Ecology 26 (6), pp.1262-1274. (10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02041.x)
- Edwards, T. et al. 2021. Passive citizen science: The role of social media in wildlife observations. PLoS ONE 16 (8) e0255416. (10.1371/journal.pone.0255416)
- Fenton, A. and Perkins, S. E. 2010. Applying predator-prey theory to modelling immune-mediated, within-host interspecific parasite interactions. Parasitology 137 (6), pp.1027-1038. (10.1017/S0031182009991788)
- Ferrari, M. et al., 2011. Pathogens, social networks, and the paradox of transmission scaling. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases 2011 267049. (10.1155/2011/267049)
- Grear, D. , Perkins, S. E. and Hudson, P. 2009. Does elevated testosterone result in increased exposure and transmission of parasites?. Ecology Letters 12 (6), pp.528-537. (10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01306.x)
- Guzzetta, G. et al., 2017. Population dynamics of wild rodents induce stochastic fadeouts of a zoonotic pathogen. Journal of Animal Ecology 86 (3), pp.451-459. (10.1111/1365-2656.12653)
- Jessica, S. , Perkins, S. and Cable, J. 2018. Transmission risk predicts avoidance of infected conspecifics in Trinidadian guppies. Journal of Animal Ecology 87 (6), pp.1525-1533. (10.1111/1365-2656.12885)
- Jones, C. B. , Stock, K. and Perkins, S. E. 2024. AI-based discovery of habitats from museum collections. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 39 (4), pp.323-327. (10.1016/j.tree.2024.01.006)
- Kallio-Koko, H. et al., 2005. Hantavirus and arenavirus antibody prevalence in rodents and humans in Trentino, Northern Italy. Epidemiology and Infection 134 (04), pp.830. (10.1017/S0950268805005431)
- Kent, E. , Schwartz, A. L. W. and Perkins, S. E. 2021. Life in the fast lane: roadkill risk along an urban-rural gradient. Journal of Urban Ecology 7 (1) juzz039. (10.1093/jue/juaa039)
- Kreisinger, J. et al., 2015. Interactions between multiple helminths and the gut microbiota in wild rodents. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 370 (1675) 20140295. (10.1098/rstb.2014.0295)
- Krichbaum, K. , Perkins, S. E. and Gannon, M. 2009. Host-parasite interactions of tropical bats in Puerto Rico. Acta Chiropterologica 11 (1), pp.157-162. (10.3161/150811009X465776)
- Lacharme Lora, L. et al., 2009. Use of bioluminescent bacterial biosensors to investigate the role of free-living helminths as reservoirs and vectors of Salmonella. Environmental Microbiology Reports 1 (3), pp.198-207. (10.1111/j.1758-2229.2009.00031.x)
- Lacharme-Lora, L. et al., 2009. Bacteria isolated from parasitic nematodes - a potential novel vector of pathogens?. Environmental Health 8 (S 1) S17. (10.1186/1476-069X-8-S1-S17)
- Lass, S. et al., 2013. Generating super-shedders: co-infection increases bacterial load and egg production of a gastrointestinal helminth. Journal of The Royal Society Interface 10 (80) 20120588. (10.1098/rsif.2012.0588)
- Lass, S. et al., 2013. Generating super-shredders: co-infection increases bacterial load and egg production of a gastrointestinal helminth. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 10 (80) 20120588. (10.1098/rsif.2012.0588)
- Lee, L. et al., 2008. Vaccine-era varicella epidemiology and vaccine effectiveness in a public elementary school population, 2002-2007. Pediatrics 121 (6), pp.e1548-e1554. (10.1542/peds.2007-2031)
- Luong, L. T. et al., 2010. The relative importance of host characteristics and co-infection in generating variation in Heligmosomoides polygyrus fecundity. Parasitology 137 (6), pp.1003-1012. (10.1017/S0031182009991892)
- Madden, J. R. and Perkins, S. E. 2017. Why did the pheasant cross the road? Long-term road mortality patterns in relation to management changes. Royal Society Open Science 4 (10) 170617. (10.1098/rsos.170617)
- McCallum, H. et al., 2017. Breaking beta: deconstructing the parasite transmission function. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 372 (1719) 20160084. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0084)
- McDowell, D. et al. 2025. Microinvertebrate consumption rates of Fasciola hepatica miracidia are not affected by alternate food.. International Journal for Parasitology 55 (11), pp.595-601. (10.1016/j.ijpara.2025.05.004)
- Michels, E. et al., 2025. The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk. Ecology Letters 28 (4) e70115. (10.1111/ele.70115)
- Moore, L. J. et al., 2023. Demographic effects of road mortality on mammalian populations: a systematic review. Biological Reviews 98 (4), pp.1033-1050. (10.1111/brv.12942)
- Parker, W. et al., 2012. A prescription for clinical immunology: the pills are available and ready for testing. A review. Current Medical Research and Opinion 28 (7), pp.1193-1202. (10.1185/03007995.2012.695731)
- Pascoe, E. L. et al. 2017. Network analysis of gut microbiota literature: an overview of the research landscape in non-human animal studies. ISME Journal 11 (12), pp.2644-2651. (10.1038/ismej.2017.133)
- Perkins, S. et al. 2009. Comparison of social networks derived from ecological data: Implications for inferring infectious disease dynamics. Journal of Animal Ecology 78 (5), pp.1015-1022. (10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01557.x)
- Perkins, S. E. et al. 2003. Empirical evidence for key hosts in persistence of a tick-borne disease. International Journal for Parasitology 33 (9), pp.909-917. (10.1016/S0020-7519(03)00128-0)
- Perkins, S. E. and Fenton, A. 2006. Helminths as vectors of pathogens in vertebrate hosts: a theoretical approach. International Journal for Parasitology 36 (8), pp.887-894. (10.1016/j.ijpara.2006.04.001)
- Perkins, S. E. , Ferrari, M. F. and Hudson, P. J. 2008. The effects of social structure and sex-biased transmission on macroparasite infection. Parasitology 135 (13), pp.1561-1569. (10.1017/S0031182008000449)
- Perkins, S. E. , Shilling, F. and Collinson, W. 2022. Anthropause opportunities: Experimental perturbation of road traffic and the potential effects on wildlife. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10 833129. (10.3389/fevo.2022.833129)
- Perkins, S. E. et al. 2017. Parasite community dynamics in an invasive vole - From focal introduction to wave front. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 6 (3), pp.412-419. (10.1016/j.ijppaw.2017.07.005)
- Pi, C. et al., 2015. Increased biodiversity in the environment improves the humoral response of rats. PLoS ONE 10 (4) e0120255. (10.1371/journal.pone.0120255)
- Raymond, S. , Perkins, S. E. and Garrard, G. 2024. The Species at Risk Act (2002) and transboundary species listings along the US-Canada border. Humanities 13 (1) 38. (10.3390/h13010038)
- Raymond, S. et al. 2021. Temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill in the UK. PLoS ONE 16 (10) e0258083. (10.1371/journal.pone.0258083)
- Raymond, S. et al. 2023. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on wildlife-vehicle collisions in the UK. Journal of Animal Ecology 92 (6), pp.1244-1255. (10.1111/1365-2656.13913)
- Raymond, S. et al. 2026. Identifying hotspots and drivers of wildlife-vehicle collision risk using citizen science data: a case study focused on the European badger Meles meles. Biological Conservation 313 111601. (10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111601)
- Reynolds, M. et al. 2025. Parasites alter interaction patterns in fish social networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 292 (2047) 20250793. (10.1098/rspb.2025.0793)
- Rosà, R. et al., 2007. Temporal variation of ixodes ricinus intensity on the rodent host apodemus flavicollis in relation to local climate and host dynamics. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 7 (3), pp.285-295. (10.1089/vbz.2006.0607)
- Sherrard-Smith, E. et al. 2015. Spatial and seasonal factors are key determinants in the aggregation of helminths in their definitive hosts: Pseudamphistomum truncatum in otters (Lutra lutra). International Journal for Parasitology 45 (1), pp.75-83. (10.1016/j.ijpara.2014.09.004)
- Smallbone, W. et al. 2017. East-West divide: temperature and land cover drive spatial variation of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from England and Wales. Parasitology 144 (11), pp.1433-1440. (10.1017/S0031182017000865)
- Stephenson, J. F. et al., 2017. Host heterogeneity affects both parasite transmission to and fitness on subsequent hosts. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences 372 (1719) 20160093. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0093)
- Trama, A. M. et al., 2012. Lymphocyte phenotypes in wild-caught rats suggest potential mechanisms underlying increased immune sensitivity in post-industrial environments. Cellular and Molecular Immunology 9 (2), pp.163-174. (10.1038/cmi.2011.61)
- Van Oosterhout, C. et al., 2013. Invasive freshwater snails provide resource for native marine hermit crabs. Aquatic Invasions 8 (2), pp.185-191. (10.3391/ai.2013.8.2.06)
- Watson, S. E. et al. 2020. Parasites of an Arctic scavenger; the wolverine (Gulo gulo). International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 13 , pp.178-185. (10.1016/j.ijppaw.2020.10.004)
- Watson, S. E. et al. 2019. Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota. ISME Journal 13 , pp.2916-2926. (10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2)
- Watson, S. E. et al. 2021. Diet-driven mercury contamination is associated with polar bear gut microbiota. Scientific Reports 11 23372. (10.1038/s41598-021-02657-6)
- White, T. A. et al., 2012. Range expansion in an invasive small mammal: influence of life-history and habitat quality. Biological Invasions 14 (10), pp.2203-2215. (10.1007/s10530-012-0225-x)
- White, T. A. , Perkins, S. E. and Dunn, A. 2012. The ecoimmunology of invasive species. Functional Ecology 26 (6), pp.1313-1323. (10.1111/1365-2435.12012)
- White, T. A. et al., 2013. Adaptive evolution during an ongoing range expansion: the invasive bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in Ireland. Molecular Ecology 22 (11), pp.2971-2985. (10.1111/mec.12343)
- Whittey, K. E. et al. 2021. Microhabitats of sharknose goby (Elacatinus evelynae) cleaning stations and their links with cleaning behaviour. Coral Reefs 40 , pp.1069-1080. (10.1007/s00338-021-02105-x)
- Williams, S. et al. 2020. An evidence-based assessment of the past distribution of Golden and White-tailed Eagles across Wales. Conservation Science and Practice 2 (8) e240. (10.1111/csp2.240)
- Williams Schwartz, A. et al. 2018. Roadkill scavenging behaviour in an urban environment. Journal of Urban Ecology 4 (1) juy006. (10.1093/jue/juy006)
- Williams Schwartz, A. L. , Shilling, F. M. and Perkins, S. E. 2020. The value of monitoring wildlife roadkill. European Journal of Wildlife Research 66 18. (10.1007/s10344-019-1357-4)
- Wilson, A. J. et al., 2017. What is a vector?. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B - Biological Sciences 372 (1719) 20160085. (10.1098/rstb.2016.0085)
- Wright, P. G. et al., 2020. Predicting hedgehog mortality risks on British roads using habitat suitability modelling. PeerJ 7 e8154. (10.7717/peerj.8154)
- Yu, H. et al., 2025. Unexpected landscape-scale contemporary gene flow and fine-scale genetic diversity in rural hedgehogs. Conservation Genetics 26 , pp.391-401. (10.1007/s10592-025-01676-4)
Book sections
- Drewe, J. and Perkins, S. E. 2014. Disease transmission in animal social networks. In: Jens, K. et al., Animal Social Networks. Oxford University Press. , pp.95-110.
- Shilling, F. , Perkins, S. E. and Collinson, W. 2015. Wildlife/roadkill observation and reporting systems. In: van der Ree, R. , Smith, D. J. and Grilo, C. eds. Handbook of Road Ecology. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. , pp.492-501. (10.1002/9781118568170.ch62)
Research
I use a combination of field and laboratory experiments to determine the role of variation in infectious diseases.
What is the role of individuals in disease persistence and invasion?
Individuals within a population are not equal; they differ in their exposure and susceptibility to parasites. These heterogeneities in infection status can create "super-spreaders": hosts that have a disproportionately high contribution to the number of infective stages (often, 20% of the host population can account for at least 80% of pathogen and parasite transmission). Using parasites of small mammals and lab-insect systems I determine whether the most infected are also the most connected. Using these data I investigate the effect of co-infection, contact rates and infection load on super-spreading.
How do social networks alter disease dynamics?
Contacts between individuals are not equal – social network theory offers methods for visualizing and quantifying variation in contacts. I use social network analyses to determine the role of individuals in disease transmission and assess how epizootics and disease treatment can alter the contact structure of populations.
How do parasites interact?
Parasites within an individual do not function in isolation. I use wild rodents as a model system to study interactions between the macrobiota (helminths) and microbiota (bacteria). This work is carried out in collaboration with the Fondazione Edmund Mach as part of an 'incoming research team' grant.
Citizen Science
Our group runs a citizen science project to collate wildlife kill – 'Road Lab'. Members of the public send us the location of UK wildlife roadkill – birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. We use GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to map where and when wildlife mortality occurs. Please see our website for more information https://www.theroadlab.co.uk/
Grants
My current research is funded by:
- Natural Environment Research Council
- KESS
- Welsh Government
Teaching
I am Deputy lead for the MSc Global Ecology and Conservation:
See more info here: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/course/global-ecology-and-conservation-msc
I teach on the following modules:
- BI2131 - Animal Diversity and Adaptation (module lead)
- BI3155 - Infection Biology and Epidemiology
- BI4002 - Advanced Research Methods
- BI4003 - Frontiers in Biosciences
- BI2136 - Ecology and Conservation (Marine Biology Field Course, Tobago)
- BIT055 - MSc Field Course (Marine Biology Field Course, Tobago)
- BIT056 - Science Communication
- BI3001 - Biosciences Final Year Project
- Week Long Practical (Ecology)
Biography
I studied Environmental Science at Plymouth University after which I worked for the UK Wildlife Trusts as a Conservation Officer. I started my research career several years later with a NERC Fellowship at Aberdeen University studying for a MSc Ecology. After this, I completed my PhD at Stirling University with Prof. Peter Hudson, studying the ecological dynamics of disease with a NERC Fellowship based at the Centro di Ecologia Alpina in the Italian Alps. My post-doc took me to the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics (CIDD) at Penn State University. I returned to the UK in 2009 to start a Marie Curie Fellowship at Cardiff University, after completion of which I became a Lecturer at Cardiff University.
Supervisions
Postgraduate students
Current lab group
- Shannon Ball - Hidden Risks: Identifying and Addressing High-Risk Behaviours for Zoonotic Disease Transmission. OneZoo UKRI DTP funded studentship 2025-2028. PhD supervision with Dr. Jo Lello, Biosciences, Dr. Gareth Enticott, Geography and Dr. Lewis Bott, Psychology.
- Izzy Wild - Rodent Routes: Mappy the Highways of Zoonitic Transmission on Farms. OneZoo UKRI DTP funded studentship 2025-2028. PhD supervision with Dr. Jo Lello, Biosciences, Dr. Gareth Enticott.
- Chessie Mason - Sentinel sharks: Anthropogenic contamination in sharks and their parasite community. NERC ECORISC CDT studentship with Cefas 2023 - 2027.
- Agnethe Olsen - Bridging ecology and technology: Using AI to track fish health. NERC GW4+ studentship 2020-2025
- Ayman Asiri - The 'smell of infection' - detecting infectious diseases and determining mechanisms underlying the spread of disease, 2021-2025
Prospective students
Please contact me if you are interested in graduate opportunities or research and field experience. I occasionally have funds for summer students and short-term research projects.
Graduated students
- Sarah Raymond (PhD) - Keeping habitats connected: Does wildlife mitigation work? NERC GW4+ studentship, 2020-2024 (now a post-doc at Oxford University).
- Neil Cook (PhD) - New technologies for rapid biodiversity assessments of individuals, populations and ecosytems. KESS Funded studentship, 2019-2024 (now working with The Wildlife Trust).
- Rhodri Phillips (MPhil) - Habitat connectivity. KESS funded MPhil (now working with the BTO).
- Kath Whittey (PhD) - The Extended Ecology of the Sharknose Goby, 2018-2022 (now a lecturer at Swansea University)
- Sophie-Lee Lane (PhD) – Reintroducing Eagles to Wales. KESS funded, 2017-2020 (now lead of Eagle Reintroduction Wales, funded by Durrell Conservation).
- Sophie Watson (PhD) - Microbiota-macrobiota interactions in Arctic wildlife. NERC funded, 2016-2020 (now a lecturer at Cardiff University).
- Katie Dunkley (PhD) - Cleaner-client interactions in the Caribbean. NERC funded. 2016-2019 (now a Fellow at Oxford University).
- Amy Schwartz (PhD) - The impact of roads on UK widlife. KESS funded, 2016-2019 (now Senior Ecologist at Wildwood Ecology).
- Emma Gillingham (PhD) – Climate change and parasitism (now at UKHSA).
- Emily Pascoe (PhD) – Macro-microbiome interactions (now a post-doc at Fondazione Edmund Mach, Italy).
Current supervision
Engagement
I run the UK's largest data collection of wildlife roadkill as a citizen science project. Follow our work at www.theroadlab.co.uk/
Contact Details
[email protected]
+44 29208 70490
Sir Martin Evans Building, Floor 6th , Room C 6.07, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
+44 29208 70490
Sir Martin Evans Building, Floor 6th , Room C 6.07, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
