Adam Hart

Academic career

Hart was an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, studying Zoology at Churchill College. His PhD at the University of Sheffield was on the cooperative behaviour of social insects (a group he became interested in because of their social behavior). Following a post-doc examining conflict in social systems, he transferred to the University of Gloucestershire in 2005, where he is currently the Professor of Science Communication.

Hart has published scientific papers on a variety of topics, including entomology, ecology, disease, hygiene, nesting phenology, citizen science and climate change. He co- wrote the Oxford University Press textbook Applied Ecology, described as 'a cornerstone publication for all undergraduate students studying ecology', and is also a co-author of the textbook Introducing Forensic and Criminal Investigation. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Entomology and is currently an Associate Editor of that journal. He sits on the Editorial Board of The Biologist, the magazine of the Royal Society of Biology, and is an Associate Editor of Antenna, the magazine of the Royal Entomological Society. Hart is also the founding co-editor of Instar, a magazine published by the Royal Entomological Society for children.

Hart has an active involvement with large-scale citizen science projects that include the "Flying Ant" survey, the "Spider in da House" survey and app and the "Starling Murmuration" survey with the Royal Society of Biology.

As a commentator on science-related stories, Hart has frequently appeared in the national press, often contributing to stories involving invertebrates such as ladybird invasions, spiders and ants. He has also discussed topics including phobias, the fear of spiders, the threat of tree diseases, banana disease and insect conservation. He is also a frequent commentator on our relationships with bacteria, including the medical implications of gut bacteria.

In recognition of his academic work Hart is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and of the Royal Society of Biology. In 2010, he was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy and the Society of Biology (now the Royal Society of Biology) Science Communicator of the Year award. In 2011, he delivered the Charter Lecture for the Royal Society of Biology and in 2015 he launched the University of Gloucestershire's public lecture series and delivered the AGM address for the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

Hart thinks that science communication is about sharing science, saying that "The scientific method is our greatest intellectual achievement – it is a tool to understand ourselves and the universe. How could you not want to share that?"

Broadcasting

Hart has frequently appeared on and presented TV and radio science documentaries. He co-presented BBC4’s Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony (with George McGavin), a 90-minute documentary about leafcutting ants, and BBC’s two-part series Hive Alive (presenting with Martha Kearney and Chris Packham). Hart also presented Life on Planet Ant, aimed at a younger audience, for BBC2. Planet Ant was nominated for Broadcast Digital and Royal Television Society awards.

Hart captained the University of Sheffield team to the final of the BBC2 Christmas University Challenge series, which sees "teams of prominent alumni from 14 universities and university colleges...compete for the glory of their institutions and the honour of being declared Series Champions".

Since 2011, Hart has presented BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service documentaries on an array of topics including honey, migratory beekeeping, swarm robotics, tree diseases, gut bacteria, de-extinction, trophy hunting (in the wake of the Cecil the Lion story), the concept of free will in biology and animal personality.

In 2016 he presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service on human-induced evolutionary change, the controversy over rhino horn trade and on mosquito control.

Hart presented the BBC World Service weekly science magazine programme Science in Action for three months in 2017.

Writing and public speaking

Hart is a frequent public speaker, lecturing on topics that include social insects, citizen science and trophy hunting to schools, public audiences and special-interest groups. In 2013 he delivered a 24-hour lecture on social insects as part of the Royal Society's National Biology Week. He has also written numerous articles for newspapers, magazines and for the BBC Science and Environment pages, including opinion pieces on migratory beekeeping, human-induced evolution, animal personality and the realities of modern-day African hunting. He has also written about the complex role of gut bacteria in human immunity.

In 2015, his first popular-science book was published. The Life of Poo details our complex relationship with bacteria and was serialized in the Daily Mail.

He is a regular presenter and chair at the Cheltenham Science Festival, tackling topics such as tree diseases, bees, gut bacteria, and garden moths. He has also appeared at the Edinburgh and Malta Science Festivals, speaking on, amongst other things, the role of gut bacteria. In 2013, he hosted the EU COST Science Night in Brussels.

Awards and honours