Sophie Hocking

I am a lecturer in Biosciences at Swansea University and an early-career researcher specialising in plant ecology, conservation and invasion ecology. My research at undergraduate and master's level focused on plant conservation, investigating the ecology of nationally scarce plants such as marsh pea, the rare and endemic dune gentian, as well as the endangered fen orchid. My PhD investigated the environmental impacts of Japanese knotweed and its management, and how best practice can be enhanced through integration with the wider environment and community ecology to aid post-treatment restoration. By applying ecological theory to knotweed invasion, I try to develop understanding of potential restoration methods for habitat recovery, involving a large-scale restoration field trial. I have also studied the impacts of knotweed management on the soil microbiome using eDNA metabarcoding, and am interested in the true sustainability of these management methods, using life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate their wider environmental impacts with the aim of enhancing management efficacy and mediating human impacts on the environment.