IUCN SSC Mite Specialist Group

I am one of the two founders of the Mite Specialist Group, and currently the Chair of the group. My research areas and expertise are in taxonomy, biodiversity, biology, ecology, conservation education, biological control, organic and sustainable agriculture.

Dr Isabel Smallegange is a population biologist whose research integrates developmental biology, behavioural ecology, and ecological modelling to understand how organisms shape and are shaped by their environments. She is known for pioneering frameworks that link energetics and agency to phenotypic plasticity, with applications from invertebrates to marine megafauna.

At Newcastle University, Dr Smallegange is Academic Group Lead for the Modelling, Evidence and Policy group, Co-Lead of the Behaviour Newcastle University Centre of Research Excellence and Director of Culture & Inclusion in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. In these roles, she leads strategic initiatives to foster inclusive, high-performing research environments, strengthen early career researcher development and build interdisciplinary collaborations that address societal and environmental challenges.

Her career spans leading institutions including the University of Amsterdam, Imperial College London, Oxford University and the Max Planck Institute. She has secured over £2.8M in competitive personal Fellowships, served in governance and policy roles at faculty and national levels, serves on international editorial boards, grant panels and scientific advisory councils and has been recognised as a Top Scholar in Population Dynamics by ScholarGPS (2024).