Tim has been a science junky from a young age, and for as long as he can remember has wanted to understand how things worked. On seeing the sea for the first time as a toddler, he stared at the waves for a while before asking his parents, ‘Why do they go and up and down?’ His teachers at Barton C of E Primary School, Comberton Village College, and then Hills Road Sixth Form College – all state schools in Cambridgeshire – encouraged his love of science.

After completing his A-levels, Tim spent a year teaching in rural Zimbabwe with the organisation Project Trust, before returning to the UK to study Biology at the University of York. He went on to be awarded a doctorate from Imperial College London in 1994, before working for the Zoological Society of London, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College and then, from 2013, the University of Oxford where he is Professor of Biology, joint head of the Department of Biology, and a professorial fellow of Jesus College.

Tim’s research investigates the ecological and evolutionary consequences of altering predator population sizes on natural ecosystems. He uses a mix of mathematical models, observations of animals in their natural environments, and experiments in the laboratory.

Tim lives with his wife, Sonya, and dog Woofler, in Oxford.

You can order Tim's book here: Tim Coulson (penguin.co.uk)

You can find Caper here: Caper - A family bookshop in East Oxford

You can find out more about Patrick's books and order them here: Patrick Worrall (penguin.co.uk)

Graham's book can be pre-ordered here: Dead Ground The bookshop we discussed: Winstone's Sidmouth

Ilaria's book can be pre-ordered here: We Will Be Forest by Ilaria Bernardini | Hatchards The bookshop we discussed: Libreria Verso Milano - verso – libri, incontri, bar

My guest this week is Karen Jennings. Karen's book Crooked Seeds can be pre-ordered here: Karen Jennings | Penguin Random House

The books we discussed:

Cal by Bernard MacLaverty Cal (penguin.co.uk)

A mouthful of salt by Reem Gafar brownsbfs.co.uk The bookshops we discussed: The Book Shoppe | Cape Town The Book Lounge Stellenbosch Books

My guest this week is Rachel Wolf. Rachel's book Five Nights can be pre-ordered here: Five Nights

The book we discussed: Books on the Hill (books-on-the-hill.co.uk) The bookshop we discussed: Books on the Hill (books-on-the-hill.co.uk)