Judith Conroy

Organic horticulture and agriculture, pollinators and wider biodiversity (particularly UK bee species), citizen science. 

With a background in organic horticulture, Judith is a researcher at Coventry University's Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience. Her research focuses on organic and other sustainable growing systems with a particular interest in the value of these spaces for pollinating insects.

Judith's primary role is Project Manager of Organic-PLUS, an EU Horizon 2020 project comprising 25 partner institutions, investigating alternatives to contentious inputs in organic agriculture across Europe. Judith is also active in the project's SOIL workpackage, trialling replacements and phase-out pathways for peat, plastic mulch and animal manure.

Judith worked on the Heritage Lottery Funded 'Blooms for Bees', a popular project which created an app to help gardeners identify and record Bumblebees (Bombus spp.). Her work with bumblebees continues in TRUE, an EU Horizon 2020 project where she is exploring bumblebee preferences in heritage legume varieties. Judith has also contributed to citizen science research to identify ornamental plants at risk of becoming invasive.