Beth Mortimer

BA (Biological Sciences), PGCE, MA (Oxon), DPhil (Oxon)

Beth is currently an 1851 Research Fellow based in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol. She is a Research Associate of the Zoology Department at Oxford. Her research is at the interface of physics, engineering and biology, using physical sciences techniques to help answer biological questions. Her current research focusses on vibration sensing in insects and nematodes. She also has ongoing projects looking at the role of materials on vibrational communication, studying spiders and their webs, stink bugs and plants and elephants and the natural environment. She uses two kinds of laser vibrometer for her experiments.

Beth attained her Bachelors in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, based at New College. Following this, she gained teaching experience with primary school children, receiving a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Oxford Brookes University. Her DPhil in Zoology (2010-2014) was based in the Silk Group looking at spider and silkworm silks as biological materials. In particular, Beth has focussed on the mechanical and vibrational properties of silks: including the forced reeling of silkworms, silks under high-rate impact and the sonic properties of silks (see publications).

Beth was previously Access and Career Development Fellow at Jesus College (2014-2016), Oxford with her research based in the group. Her Fellowship looked at how different animals use vibrations through materials as sensory information. As Access Fellow, Beth was also employed to reach out to a broader range of potential undergraduate Oxford applicants through an academic-led programme of activities.

Beth also has been lecturer of Biological Sciences at Jesus College (2012-2014), teaching first year Zoology tutorials and Biomechanics. She has lectured on both the Sensory Ecology and Biomechanics third year modules. She has participated in a range of outreach and public engagement activities.

Beth's collaborators include the Engineering Department at Oxford, Earth Sciences Department at Oxford, , the Department for Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield, as well as the department for Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde.

See also: links to webpages for Zoology Department.