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Dr Vicky Bowskill

Profile summary

  • Associate Lecturer (SDT 306) | Communications & Engagement Officer (OSC)
  • Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
  • vicky.bowskill

Professional biography

Hi, I'm Vicky. I'm an award-winning illustrator, storyteller and environmental scientist. With a PhD in the sustainable management of floodplain meadows for agroecology, I have a passion for connecting research and practice through accessible communication. I have a portfolio career with three main strands: 1) Associate Lecturer on module SDT306 Environment: responding to Change, 2) Communications & Engagement Officer with the Open Societal Challenges Team, and 3) Founding Director of Inklusive Nature CIC, a not-for-profit focussing on inclusive research communication through visuals and arts-based methods.

Research interests

Bowskill, Vicky (2024). Hay Days: Management of floodplain meadows for sustainable hay production. PhD thesis The Open University.

Zuza, Emmanuel Junior; Lambert, Kestrel; Macmillan, Tom; Chiyemura, Frangton; Araya, Yoseph; Bowskill, Vicky; Oluseye, Ayomide; Ng’endo Kanui, Mary; Keding, Gudrun; Butler, Gillian; Breman, Elinor; King, Israel Oliver; Matumba, Limbikani; Heddenhausen, Jessica; Nordin, Stacia and Bhagwat, Shonil (2024). Crop species diversity: A key strategy for sustainable food system transformation and climate resilience. Food and Energy Security, 13(3), article no. e558.

Bowskill, Vicky; Bhagwat, Shonil and Gowing, David (2023). Depleting soil nutrients through frequency and timing of hay cutting on floodplain meadows for habitat restoration and nutrient neutrality. Biological Conservation, 283, article no. 110140.

Teaching interests

I am currently an Associate Lecturer on module SDT306 Environment: responding to Change. This is a cross-disciplinary module with an environmental focus that fits well with my mixed-methods approach.

Impact and engagement

Engaging, eye-catching visuals are a key part of effective science communication, helping to build trust and start conversations, capturing hearts and minds.  My academic experience includes both natural and social science methods, along with 20 years’ experience engaging various interest groups and publics in local government, third sector and academic settings. I help researchers and project managers increase engagement with diverse and often underrepresented communities through inclusive visuals for engaged research with impact.