NUAcT Fellow and Group Lead
Background
I am a molecular ecological entomologist driven by a desire to deepen our understanding of foraging ecology, ecosystem nutrition, and the application of molecular tools to monitoring the natural world. My research focuses on the mechanisms underlying trophic interactions, combining molecular techniques with nutritional analyses to understand how ecological communities and networks are structured and function.
I lead the Foraging Ecology Research Group, which investigates trophic interactions, the behaviours and ecological processes that precede them, and the biotic and abiotic factors that shape them. Through interdisciplinary approaches, my research aims to advance our understanding of the mechanisms governing trophic interactions across a range of ecological systems, scales and contexts.
For more information, please visit my Newcastle University, ResearchGate, Google Scholar or LinkedIn.
Key publications
For a full list, see the Publications page.
- Cuff, Tercel, Vaughan, Drake, Wilder, Bell, Müller, Orozco-terWengel & Symondson (2025). Prey nutrient content is associated with the trophic interactions of spiders and their prey selection under field conditions. Oikos, 2025(2): e10712.
- Cuff, Kitson, Windsor, Sint, Hawthorne, Traugott, Anderson, Neidel, Gatehouse, Thwaites, Edwards & Evans (2026). Dietary RNA: diagnostic and functional RNA offer a potential paradigm shift for molecular dietary analyses. Molecular Ecology Resources, 26 (4): e70139.
- Cuff, Evans, Vaughan, Wilder, Tercel & Windsor (2024). Networking nutrients: how nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks. Journal of Animal Ecology, 93 (8): 974-988.
- Cuff, Wilder, Tercel, Hunt, Oluwaseun, Morley, Badell-Grau, Vaughan, Bell, Orozco-terWengel, Symondson & Müller (2021). MEDI: Macronutrient Extraction and Determination from invertebrates, a rapid, cheap and streamlined protocol. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12 (4): 593-601.
- Cuff, Drake, Tercel, Stockdale, Orozco-terWengel, Bell, Vaughan, Müller & Symondson (2021). Money spider dietary choice in pre- and post-harvest cereal crops using metabarcoding. Ecological Entomology, 46 (2): 249-261.
Other activities
Founding Editor-in-Chief, Approaches in Entomology (2026-present)
Editor-in-Chief, Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2024-present)
UKEOF DNA Working Group Steering Committee (2024-present)
Editorial Advisory Board, Global Change Biology (2026-present)
NERC Pushing the Frontiers Moderation Panel Deputy Chair (Nov 2026-Nov 2027)
BBSRC People and Talent Strategy Advisory Panel Researcher Subgroup member (2022-present)
Focus Team Lead, Group on Insect Nutrition To Open Nutritional Innovative Challenges (GIN-TONIC) COST Action (2024-present)
Royal Entomological Society Open Science Working Group (2024-present)
Royal Entomological Society Publications Committee (2023-present)
Newcastle University Developing Excellent Researchers Committee Co-chair (2023-2026)
Newcastle University Cross-Faculty Researcher Network Networking Lead (2024-2025)
Invertebrate Biodiversity Advisor, Frozen Ark (2019-present)
Royal Entomological Society Sustainable Agriculture Special Interest Group convenor (2023-2024)
Subject Editor, Bulletin of Entomological Research (2022-2024)
Newcastle University Cross-Faculty Researcher Network Co-founder and Lead (2022-2024)
Researchers Empowering Newcastle University conference organiser (2022-2024)
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Research Associate Committee Chair (2022-2023)
SNESFest (School of Natural and Environmental Sciences annual symposium) Planning Committee (2022 & 2023)
Associate Editor, Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2023-2024)
Editorial Board, Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2021-2023)
British Arachnological Society Online Surveys Coordinator (2020)
Cardiff Science Café/Innovation in Isolation Coordinator (2016-2020)
Brief CV
2023-present: Newcastle University Academic Track Fellow, “Increasing efficacy of nature-based solutions for sustainable agriculture by unravelling the molecular mechanisms of prey choice”.
2021-2023: Newcastle University, Postdoctoral Research Associate, “Stacking of ecosystem services: mechanisms and interactions for optimal crop protection, pollination enhancement, and productivity (EcoStack)” with Prof Darren Evans, funded by EU H2020.
2021: Cardiff University, Postdoctoral Research Associate, “Metagenomic and metaviromic monitoring of SARS-CoV2 in wastewater” with Prof Peter Kille and Prof Andrew Weightman, funded by Ser Cymru.
2020-2021: Cardiff University, Postdoctoral Research Associate, “Defining a standard operating procedure for portable molecular ecological analyses using nanopore sequencing” with Prof Peter Kille, funded by Global Challenges Research Fund.
2016-2020: Cardiff University, PhD, “Nutrient-specific foraging and the role of spiders as biocontrol agents” with Prof William Symondson, Dr Carsten Muller, Dr Ian Vaughan, Dr James Bell and Dr Pablo Orozco-terWengel, funded by BBSRC SWBio DTP.
2017-2018: National Museum Wales, Biodiversity Collections Assistant, with Dr Ben Rowson.
2015-2016: Cardiff University, MRes Biosciences, “Invertebrate communities of wood decay in beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunks” with Dr Hefin Jones and Prof Lynne Boddy.
2011-2014: Cardiff University, BSc Biology.
Foraging Ecology Research Group 