Assistant Professor

B.Sc.
Ph.D.

Bio

Brigitte Howarth is an ecologist with extensive experience in desert ecology. Her first degree was in Applied Ecology (BSc (Hons), and her PhD in ecological entomology. As Assistant Professor in the department of NSPH she delivers courses that give students an understanding of biology and ecology, and offers experience of terrestrial biodiversity assessments. 

Office: Dubai Academic City, (D Wing, D-L1-38)
Phone: +9714 402 1189
Email: Brigitte.Howarth@zu.ac.ae

Teaching Areas

Teaching in both general education and major courses offered in our NSPH department, e.g. environmental science, biology, ecology.

Research and Professional Activities

The PhD title was ‘Batesian Mimicry in the British Syrphidae (Diptera)’ and dealt with investigating whether mimics of bees and wasps (i.e. Syrphidae also known as hoverflies) really gain protection from mimicking a more noxious or defended insect such as a wasp or a bee. The study was carried out in the field rather than under laboratory conditions and therefore included behavioral observations. Currently my research deals with a question that arose through the PhD studies, i.e. are birds really stung by bees and wasps and is this how they learn to avoid them and insects that resemble them.