Emily Gilford (she/her)

Emily Gilford is a final year PhD researcher investigating the evolution and mechanisms of stress responses in animals.

Her research combines field studies of Gryllus campestris (WildCrickets), individual-based and evolutionary modelling, and molecular and transcriptomic approaches in laboratory populations of Gryllus bimaculatus. By integrating behavioural ecology, evolutionary biology and molecular biology, she investigates the mechanisms underlying stress responses, individual variation in behaviour and the effects of sublethal pesticide exposure on insects. 

Alongside her research, Emily supervises undergraduate and Master's research students, supporting projects spanning behavioural ecology, insect biology and experimental research.

Emily's broader research interests include:

• Animal behaviour and cognition
• Animal welfare (including insects), pain and stress
• Behavioural plasticity and adaptation to environmental change
• The behavioural, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying responses to environmental challenges.

Alongside her research, Emily is passionate about improving animal welfare in research and promoting effective science communication. She is the Research Communication & Dissemination Officer for the Animal Welfare Research Network (AWRN) and serves on the Early Career Committee of the Insect Welfare Research Society (IWRS). In addition, she sits on the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) student subcommittee. 

She is supervised by Dr Bram Kuijper, Professor Tom Tregenza, Professor Stuart Townley, and Dr Tim Fawcett at the University of Exeter, Dr Sinead English at the University of Bristol, and collaborates with Professor Chris Bass (Insect Evolutionary Ecology) on the molecular components of her research.