Dr Katie James is a lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), where she also serves as Deputy Programme Leader for both the BSc Environmental Science and the Masters by Research programmes. Her academic and research work is grounded in a strong interdisciplinary background in behavioural entomology, applied ecology, pollination ecology, and sustainable agriculture.

Dr James graduated with a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of Greenwich in 2019, during which she worked as an entomology assistant for the Natural Resources Institute. This formative experience sparked her enduring interest in insect-plant interactions and ecological networks. She went on to complete a PhD in 2023 titled "The role of species-combination pollination systems in fruit crop production, quality, and nutritional composition." Her doctoral research investigated the ecological and agronomic impacts of diverse pollination systems on fruit crops, examining both yield and nutritional outcomes.

Alongside her PhD, Dr James held the position of Lead Research Assistant at Queen Mary University of London, where she contributed to a major research project on tropical butterflies and their evolutionary adaptations to climate change. This work further broadened her expertise in evolutionary ecology and species responses to environmental pressures.

• Arnold, S.E.J., Dudenhöffer, J.-H., Fountain, M.T., James, K.L., Hall, D.R., Farman, D.I., Wäckers, F.L. and Stevenson, P.C. (2021). Bumble bees show an induced preference for flowers when primed with caffeinated nectar and a target floral odor. Current Biology, (16). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.068.
• James, K.L., Springate, S., Harte, S., Farman, D., Colgan, R. and Arnold, S. (2024). How multi-species pollination boosts strawberry yield, quality, and nutritional value. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 37, pp.326–340. doi:https://doi.org/10.26786/1920-7603(2024)788.

Dr James's current research focuses on biodiversity within pollinator networks, pollinator behaviour, and the ecological drivers of crop yield and nutritional composition. She is particularly interested in the role of pollination in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing food security through improved ecosystem function.

Katie’s previous research during her PhD focused on the role of pollination systems involving multiple pollinator species working together to enhance crop production, yielded new findings. Notably, she discovered that hoverflies (Eupeodes corollae) in combination with bees (Bombus terrestris) in natural systems can increase the vitamin C content in strawberry fruit—a finding that has the potential to impact how we approach crop production, especially in areas facing nutrient deficiencies and opens new research into areas of plant defence.

Katie’s current research is focusing on integrating machine learning into understanding the mechanisms of pollinator behaviour and interactions, as well as how plant pathways facilitate successful pollination and vitamin C concentration.

Bumble bees show an induced preference for flowers when primed with caffeinated nectar and a target floral odour. (2021) Research assistant.

The role of species-combination pollination systems in fruit crop production, quality, and nutritional composition (2023). A diverse assemblage of insect visitors can provide functional complementarity within plant pollination due to differences in characteristics such as their physical traits, visitation rate and foraging time of day or year. In a horticultural context, greater functional complementarity may play a crucial role in enhancing fruit yield and quality by improving pollination. We tested whether the identity of the crop pollinators (bumblebee Bombus terrestris and hoverfly Eupeodes corollae) independently and additively influenced commercial strawberry yield, quality, and nutritional parameters such as vitamin C and sugar concentration. Fragaria x ananassa “Malling Champion” plants received pollination treatments of either a) “control”: self-pollination where pollinators were excluded, b) “bee”: bumblebee Bombus terrestris, c) “hoverfly”: Eupeodes corollae, d) “combined”: both B. terrestris and E. corollae. Hoverflies and bumblebees exhibited distinct visitation patterns throughout the day, establishing a functional complementary relationship that enhances pollination success and crop output as well as vitamin C concentrations. Strawberries from plants receiving pollination by bumblebees, or bumblebees and hoverflies combined, had higher yields of higher marketable quality. They also had measurably higher vitamin C content than strawberries from plants pollinated by hoverflies alone, or the control (self-pollinating) plants. This study advances our understanding of niche complementarity and its impact on fruit yield and quality.

The role of gibberellic acid in pollination and fruit development (2025). Little is known about the Smirnoff-Wheeler pathway and how vitamin C is synthesized within the plant and fruit of strawberry. This project seeks to use multiple modes of pollination (including self-pollination) to elucidate what role gibberellic acid has within pollination and the production of vitamin C in commercial strawberry.

Machine learning and pollinator dynamics (2025). This project seeks to use 3D tracking software and machine learning to identify behavioural patterns and interactions between pollinators to further understand the dynamics and interactions that take place within pollinator biodiversity.

Deputy Programme Leader, BSc Environmental Science & Masters by Research Chair of the NRI-ECR forum

• Former President of the NRIPS (NRI-GRE)
• British Ecological Society
• Royal Entomological Society
• Kent wildlife Trust
• NDCS
• Founder and Former President of the Natural Science Society (2016-2019).

• K.L. James: Interspecific interactions between hoverflies and bumblebees, British Ecological Society Conference, Liverpool.
• K.L. James: Strawberry production and multi-species pollination, AAB, Slough.