Dr Kerry Brown

Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment
Department of Geography, Geology and the Environment
School of Built Environment and Geography
Penrhyn Road

Associate Professor

[email protected]

ORCID

About

I am an Associate Professor at Kingston University. I received my BSc in Biology from Howard University in Washington, DC. I then went on to complete my MSc in Applied Ecology and PhD in Ecology and Evolution, both in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University (New York). My dissertation research investigated the multi-scale effects of plant invasions in tropical forests in Puerto Rico. From 2004 - 2008, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship (Columbia University Science Fellow) at Columbia University in New York City. I am a plant ecologist and conservation biologist. My research integrates ecological data from small to large spatial scales to assess how global environmental change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function. My research is conducted in tropical (forests of Madagascar and Puerto Rico) and temperate ecosystems (UK and Spanish peatlands).

Qualifications

PhD
MSc
BSc
FHEA

Domains

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: I investigate the extent to which changes in biodiversity, including changes in plant functional trait composition can significantly alter dynamics of natural ecosystems (e.g., fens, tropical forests), and in turn, whether these ecosystems are able to deliver key ecosystem services (e.g., biodiversity, carbon storage). Biodiversity plays an integral role in the livelihoods of subsistence communities in tropical developing countries and I seek to understand the interplay between local people and biodiversity.
Spatial predictive models: I investigate the effects of environmental change on biodiversity--across small and large spatial scales--using species distribution models and various other modelling techniques. My current research in this area focuses on modelling species range shift, with a view to better understanding how climate change and deforestation interact to drive species' distributions.
Nature-based Solutions (NbS): I investigate barriers to implementing NbS for climate change adaptation and mitigation in urban and peri-urban environments. There are substantial knowledge gaps in our understanding of people's perception of NbS initiatives, leading to discrepancies in behaviours toward climate mitigation and adaptation policy. I work with an interdisciplinary team of researchers to understand motors and drivers of NbS implementation.
Widening Participation: I investigate the underrepresentation of minoritised ethnic communities in environmental science and environmental decision-making. I investigate how barriers such as limited educational opportunities and exclusionary entry routes restrict participation and career pathways in the field. Using participatory and experiential approaches, I explore how community-driven environmental education can empower young people, diversify perspectives and generate more inclusive solutions to climate and biodiversity challenges.

Selected Funding

Mapping Futures: Empowering young people from Under-represented communities in Environmental Science. NERC, 2025-2026. PI: Kerry Brown, Co-Is: Mary Kelly, Purva Tavri, Tracey Coates, Amanda Baker, Lisa Westray (Haringey Sixth Form College) and Paul Butler (The Selby Trust)
Cascading impacts of landscape structure on forest regeneration. PI: Onja Razafindratsima, Co-PIs: Kerry Brown & Steig Johnson. NSF, 2024-2028.
The Abundance Project: enhancing cultural and green inclusion to address racial and ethnic inequalities in mental health. PIs: Maria Chatzichristodoulou & Tushna Vandrevala. Co-Is: Kerry Brown, Meg Jensen, Peter Garside, Kerry Brown, Chris Tang. AHRC, 2024-2027.
Linking plant functional traits with palaeoecological proxies in peatland habitats. Co-Is: Lourdes López-Merino and Antonio Martínez Cortizas. The Royal Society, 2020-2022.

Specialisms

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function
Tropical plant ecology
Climate and Land-use change driven range shift

Scholarly affiliations

British Ecological Society (BES)

Publications

Black rat (Rattus rattus) invasion shapes endemic small mammal communities and reduces the body weight of the threatened brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus)

Cudney-Valenzuela, S. J., Johnson, S. E., Brown, K. A., Kava, G., Randrianantoandro, C. A., Rasoanorolala, H. P., Raharinomena, N. and Razafindratsima, O. H., 2026, Biodiversity and Conservation (35), 7, Published

Dr Kerry Brown

About

Qualifications

Domains

Teaching and learning

Research

Publications

Articles

Book Sections/Chapters

Gallery of work

Research team in Xistral Mountains in Spain (September 2021)