Staff
Talor Whitham
MBiol (Hons), PhD Student
MBiol (Hons), PhD Student
Talor is completing her PhD research on a Defra-funded Centre for Forest Protection project on ‘Reassessing the Risk of Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, to the UK’. In particular, she is investigating possible alternative beetle vectors for the quarantine nematode that may increase the risk of its establishment in the UK. This is a multi-partner project with collaborators at the University of Reading, Forest Research, Fera Science Ltd., and the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV) in Portugal.
Project website: Reassessing the threat posed by pinewood nematode to UK Forestry – Centre for Forest Protection
Alternative University of Reading contact details: t.c.whitham@pgr.reading.ac.uk
Previous to this, Talor has worked as an entomologist as part of Tree Health Diagnostic and Advisory Service (THDAS). Talor has worked on multiple quarantine species, as part of monitoring and eradication programmes, including: Ips typographus, pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa), and oak processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionea).
Talor graduated from the University of Leeds in 2018 with an Integrated Masters in Zoology, where she explored the use of bioacoustics as an insect sampling technique. Prior to joining Forest Research, she has had roles as a senior science technician and as an entomology field assistant working on insect biodiversity surveys.
University of Reading PhD Student
Convenor of the Royal Entomological Society Special Interest Group: Forest Invertebrates
Member of the Royal Entomological Society
Member of the British Ecological Society
Publications:
Blake, M., Straw, N., Kendall, T., Whitham, T., Manea, I. A., Inward, D., Jones, B., Hazlitt, N., Ockenden, A., Deol, A., Brown, A., Ransom, E., Smith, L., & Facey, S. (2024). Recent outbreaks of the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in the UK: Discovery, management, and implications. Trees, Forests and People, 16, 100508.
Whitham, T., Bowdrey, J., & Blake, M. (2022) Dryomyia lichtensteinii (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a holm oak gall midge new to the British Isles. British Journal of Entomological Natural History, 35.
Conferences, Posters & Awards:
Whitham, T., Prior, T., Ryalls, J., Bell, L., Girling, R., Sains, J., Correia, M., Platoni, A., Inácio, M., Bonifácio, L., Blake, M., Facey, S. (2025). A survey of pine-associated nematode fauna in Great Britain. Sustainable land Management, University of Reading 2025 PhD Symposium. 21st Jan 2025. Reading, United Kingdom
Whitham, T., Prior, T., Ryalls, J., Bell, L., Girling, R., Sains, J., Correia, M., Platoni, A., Inácio, M., Bonifácio, L., Blake, M., Facey, S. (2024). A survey of pine-associated nematode fauna in Great Britain. British Ecological Society: BES Annual Meeting 2024. 10-13th Dec 2024. Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Whitham, T., Ryalls, J., Bell, L., Inácio, M., Girling, R., Prior, T., Correia, M., Platoni, A., Blake, M., Bonifácio, L., Facey, S. (2024). A survey of pine-associated nematode fauna in Great Britain. Forest Research, Tree Health Conference. 20-21st Nov 2024. York, United Kingdom.
Whitham, T., Ryalls, J., Bell, L., Inácio, M., Girling, R., Prior, T., Correia, M., Platoni, A., Blake, M., Bonifácio, L., Facey, S. (2024). Characterisation of cuticular compounds of alternative vectors of pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) and the threat posed to UK forestry. IUFRO 26th World Congress Stockholm 2024. 23-29th Jun 2024. Stockholm Sweden.
Whitham, T. (2024) Symposium Session Chair, Co-chair, co-organiser. Forest Invertebrates Challenges & Solutions. Royal Entomology Society: Special interested Group – Forest Invertebrates. 2nd May 2024. Online.
Whitham, T., Prior, T., Ryalls, J., Bell, L., Girling, R., Correia, M., Platoni, A., Inácio, M., Bonifácio, L., Blake, M., Facey, S. (2024). Reassessing the Threat to UK Forestry: Pinewood Nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus). Sustainable land Management, University of Reading 2024 PhD Symposium. 31st Jan 2024. Reading, United Kingdom
Whitham, T., Ryalls, J., Bell, L., Inácio, M., Girling, R., Prior, T., Correia, M., Platoni, A., Blake, M., Bonifácio, L., Facey, S. (2023). Reassessing the threat posed by pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) to UK forestry: exploring alternative vectors and novel detection tools. IUFRO 7.02.10: IUFRO International Symposium on Pine Wilt Disease “PWD2023”: The Prevention, Theory, Technology and Management of Pine Wilt Disease. 25-28th Oct 2023, Nanjing, China | ** Awarded First Prize for Young Scholar Presentation
Whitham, T., Ryalls, J., Girling, R., Platoni, A., Blake, M., Prior, T., Lawson, R., Inácio, M., Bonifácio, L., Facey, S. (2023). Reassessing the threat posed by pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) to UK forestry: exploring alternative vectors and novel detection tools. Sustainable land Management, University of Reading 2023 PhD Symposium. 14th Dec 2023. Reading, United Kingdom
Whitham, T., Ryalls, J., Girling, R., Blake, M., Prior, T., Lawson, R., Inácio, M., Bonifácio, L., Facey, S. (2023). Reassessing the threat posed by pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) to UK forestry: exploring alternative vectors and novel detection tools. Centre for Forest Protection 2022 Symposium. 11th Jan 2023. Kew Gardens, Richmond, United Kingdom.
