My name is Max. I am a DPhil student exploring the responses of soil diversity and function in relation to grazing management practices in north-west European pastures. More concisely, I dig holes and count worms. My primary focus is determining the outcomes of grazing management practices such as adaptive multi-paddock (aka, mob-, regenerative-, high intensity-) grazing compared to continuous grazing in British pastures. These outcomes centre on the earthworm and microbial communities, and soil functions such as soil structure.
I am currently managing a mesocosm experiment on forage removal impacts on earthworms and forage plant productivity. I am also analysing data from my first chapter on fieldwork which was undertaken in Northumberland back in 2025. As I continue my write up, I aim to produce results from a long term field trial on mob-grazing in collaboration with an industrial partner. After my DPhil, I am looking to enter the agricultural sector as a new-entrant farmer, but I am open to exploring research and teaching opportunities within academia.
