I have an academic background in environmental biology beginning with an undergraduate degree at the University of Liverpool. In 2000 I studied for an MSc in environmental science at UEL and carried out an investigation of the effects of coppicing on leaf-litter dwelling invertebrates for my dissertation. After completing this MSc I worked for the Lea Rivers Trust, a regeneration charity, carrying out habitat management on the River Lea and Lea Navigation in East London (soon to be the Olympic Park). Following this, I began a PhD investigation into the habitat and habitat management requirements of two UK Biodiversity Action Plan bumblebees - the shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum) and the brown carder bee (Bombus humilis). The thesis was submitted in November 2007 at which time I joined the Environmental Research Group as a Research Fellow. In this role, I am involved in a variety of research and consultancy contracts related to the promotion of biodiversity particularlyreinstating ecosytem services in urban environments. Current projects include:

• Designing and monitoring bumblebee habitat management.
• Maximising the ecological service benefits of green roof design.
• Biodiversity survey and enhancement of the UEL campuses.
• Designing landscaping to maximise biodiversity.
• The incorporation of brownfield habitat interest features into sustainable development.
• GIS habitat mapping of UK Biodiversity Action Plan invertebrates in the East Thames Corridor.
• Using natural habitat features to improve water quality in sustainable communities.

Projects involve collaborations with UEL's Sustainability Research Institute, the Environment Agency, Buglife - the Invertebrate Conservation Charity, LivingRoofs.org, Barking Riverside the Environment Agency and Natural England.

• Research Fellow with Richard Lindsay as part of the Peatland Research Unit
• Leader of the Invertebrate Ecology Research Unit within the Environmental Research Group
• Member of the Research & Knowledge Exchange Committee 

Invertebrate ecology and conservation, the importance of brownfield sites for invertebrates, using microsatellite DNA analysis to assess effective population size and flight distances in bumblebees, living roofs to promote biodiversity in urban environments, restoring ecosystem services to urban environments, peatland research.

• Currently helping to develop the distance-learning nature conservation modules being put together by the School of Health and Bioscience.
• Supporting student projects on water quality assessment and GIS mapping.
• Supervising MSc Bioscience students.

• Molecular Genetics BS2012 - running molecular ecology practicals for undergraduate students
• Bioscience BSM002 

Bumblebee ecology, conservation biology, metapopulation dynamics and the use of microsatellite polymorphisms to estimate bumblebee colony densities and spatial dynamics, greenroofs for biodiversity. I am currently preparing a number of papers for publication, based on the work carried out as part of my PhD thesis.

Currently a partner on the Barking Riverside green roof experiment , Buglife's East London Living Roofs and 'Stepping Stones for Wildlife' biodiversity projects.

• Connop, S. (2011) Barking Riverside Invertebrate Assemblage Analysis. Report produced for London Wildlife Trust, London.
• Connop, S., Lindsay, R., Freeman, J. and Kadas, G. (2011) Barking Riverside Office Landscaping: Biodiversity monitoring. London: University of East London.
• Freeman, J., Lindsay, R.A., Marr, M.M. & Connop, S.P. (2010) University of East London: the biodiversity evidence base. London: University of East London.
• Connop, S., Hill, T., Steer, J. and Shaw, P. (2010) Microsatellite analysis reveals the spatial dynamics of Bombus humilis and Bombus sylvarum. Insect Conservation and Diversity, In Press.
• Connop, S., Hill, T., Steer, J. and Shaw, P. (2010) The role of dietary breadth in national bumblebee (Bombus) declines: simple correlation? Biological Conservation 143 (11), 2739-2746.
• Connop, S. (2010) Hadleigh Castle Country Park bumblebee habitat improvement: Experimental forage plot surveys IV. Report produced for Essex County Council.
• Freeman, J., Lindsay, R., Marr, M. and Connop, S. (2010) University of East London: the biodiversity evidence base. Report produced for UEL, London.
• Connop, S., Woodhouse, A. and Shaw, P. (2009) The use of green haying as targeted habitat management for rare UK bumblebees (Bombus). Essex Naturalist (New Series) 26, 67-88.
• Connop, S. and Lindsay, R. (2009) Buglife - Stepping Stones for Wildlife: UKBAP Invertebrate Records. Report produced for Buglife, Peterborough, UK.
• Connop, S. and Lindsay, R. (2009) Buglife - Stepping Stones for Wildlife: UKBAP Research Species Invertebrate Records. Report produced for Buglife, Peterborough, UK.
• Connop, S. (2009) Hadleigh Castle Country Park bumblebee habitat improvement: Experimental forage plot surveys III. Report produced for Essex County Council.
• Connop, S. (2008) Hadleigh Castle Country Park bumblebee habitat improvement: Experimental forage plot surveys II. Report produced for Essex County Council.
• Connop, S. and Lindsay, R. (2008) Thames Estuary 2100 Phase 3ii supporting studies: Invertebrate assemblages of Thames Estuary coastal grazing marshes. Report produced for the Environment Agency Thames Estuary 2100 project.
• Connop, S.P. (2008) Hadleigh Castle Country Park bumblebee habitat improvement: Experimental forage plot surveys II. Commissioned report for Essex County Council.
• Connop, S.P. (2008) The habitat and habitat management requirements of the shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum) and the brown-banded carder bee (Bombus humilis) in south Essex. PhD Thesis submitted to the University of East London.
• Connop, S. (2007) Hadleigh Castle Country Park bumblebee habitat improvement: Experimental forage plot surveys I. Report produced for Essex County Council.
• Connop, S. (2006) Bumblebee forage patch creation experiment at Hadleigh Castle Country Park, September 2006. Report produced for Hadleigh Castle Country Park.

Research & Knowledge Exchange in invertebrate conservation: Talk at the UEL School of Health, Sport and Bioscience School Conference, June 2010.

Stepping Stones: Landscape-scale bumblebee conservation: Poster presented at the Zoological Society of London Non-invertebrate conservation symposium. February 2010.

Creating Stepping Stones for Bumblebees: Presentation with Jamie Roberts of Buglife as part of the Royal Entomological Society (RES) 'Insect Conservation' Special Interest Group Meeting. Wednesday 1st April 2009.

Co-editor: Essex Naturalist Journal

Abstract from PhD thesis

A study of the habitat and habitat management requirements of two UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority bumblebee species, Bombus sylvarum and Bombus humilis. Maps were produced of the South Essex distributions of the bees and a combination of field surveys, pollen sampling, habitat manipulation and microsatellite DNA analysis were used to investigate the forage requirements, nesting preferences and spatial dynamics of the bees.

Bombus humilis and B. sylvarum queens were recorded as the latest emerging of the Bombus species observed, not appearing until late May. Fabaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Lamiaceae were recorded as being the floral families most frequently and consistently visited by the bees with pollen being most commonly collected from Fabaceae and Scrophulariaceae. Rarefaction analysis of dietary preference data revealed that the mean number of plant species B. sylvarum workers would be expected to visit during 20 flower visits was significantly fewer than for B. humilis and B. pascuorum (p=0.009 and p=0.004 respectively). The mean number of plant species B. humilis would be expected to visit during 20 flower visits was similar to that of the nationally ubiquitous species B. pascuorum and B. lapidarius but was consistently lower than another ubiquitous species B. terrestris/lucorum, although not significantly so (p=0.182).

Forage patches sown with favoured forage species of the bees (Lotus glaber, Odontites verna, Ballota nigra, Lotus corniculatus and Trifolium pratense) successfully attracted B. humilis and B. sylvarum workers. No technique was found for reliably locating nests, and only three nests were located in the study. Those that were found were situated in relatively undisturbed tall rough grassland with a sunny exposure.

For the first time, microsatellite DNA analysis was used to assess foraging distances of rare bumblebees. Mean foraging distances estimated from distances separating sister bees were calculated as 756m for B. humilis and 232m for B. sylvarum. These distances were considered to be appropriate spatial scales for nesting and foraging habitat management. Results from this study were fed into a 10-year habitat management program for the bees at Hadleigh Castle Country Park, South Benfleet, Essex

• Buglife
• Essex Field Club
• Bumblebee Conservation Trust