Senior Research Ecologist
Stuart Newson is a Senior Research Ecologist in the Data Science and Bioacoustics team, where he is mainly involved in survey design and analyses of data from large national citizen science surveys.
Stuart is known for his innovative, cross-sector research, and was winner of the Marsh Award for Innovative Ornithology in 2018.
Whilst the core of Stuart’s work has been on birds, he has an interest in the sound identification of bats, small terrestrial mammals and bush-crickets. His work on bioacoustics has included creating tools which use machine learning algorithms to identify such species from their ‘calls’. These tools are now integrated into the BTO Acoustic Pipeline, one of the world’s first multi-taxon audible classifiers and ultrasonic classifiers.
The Pipeline combines Stuart’s skill knowledge of acoustic species identification with his interest in using bioacoustics to deliver new opportunities for conservation, and to provide new ways to engage with larger audiences. It integrates online tools for coordinating fieldworkers, processing recordings, and returning engaging feedback to encourage large-scale participation in acoustic surveys.
Stuart is a member of Natural England’s Bat Expert Panel, set up to shape the future of bat conservation in the UK, a member of the IUCN SSC Species Specialist Monitoring Group. He plays an important role in advising others on survey design and analyses of data from large national surveys of wild bird and mammal populations.
Other Information
- Research Fellowship on Bioacoustics
- PhD and MSc supervisor
- Trustee of Norfolk and Norwich Bat Group
- BSc (Hons) Zoology, Bristol University, 1993-1996
- Ph.D. The colonisation and range expansion of inland breeding great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo in England. Bristol University, 1998-2000.
Recent BTO Publications
- Ashton-Butt, A., Gillings, S., Thurston, L., Wells, F., Wetherhill, A. & Newson, S.E. 2025. Farming in Project Landscapes – Turtle Dove Monitoring Project, 2024 Report. BTO Research Report 774:
- Newson, S.E. & Panter, T.L. 2025. Ryevitalise – Bats and Ancient Trees, 2020–2024 Report. BTO Research Report 775:
- Newson, S.E. & Crisp, G. 2025. Bat distribution and activity in the Skell Valley catchment, 2024 Report. BTO Research Report 776:
- Newson, S.E. & Gray, A. 2024. Silvopasture Biodiversity – Beetles and Bats: providing the infrastructure and protocols that farmers can follow to participate in biodiversity monitoring using passive acoustic monitoring. BTO Research Report 768:
- Newson, S.E., Allez, S.L., Coule, E.K., Guille, A.W., Henney, J.M., Higgins, L., Mclellan, G.D., Lewis, M., Simmons, M.C. & Atkinson, P.W. 2024. Bailiwick Bat Survey: 2023 season report. BTO Research Report 764:
- MacIsaac, J., Newson, S., Ashton-Butt, A., Pearce, H. & Milner, B. 2024. Improving acoustic species identification using data augmentation within a deep learning framework. Ecological Informatics 83: doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2024.102851
- Newson, S.E., Allez, S.L., Coule, E.K., Guille, A.W., Henney, J.M., Higgins, L., McLellan, G.D., Simmons, M.C., Sweet, E., Whitelegg, D. & Atkinson, P.W. 2023. Bailiwick Bat Survey 2022 Report. BTO Research Report 750:
- Cook, P., Alder, D., Hordley, L., Newson, S.E. & Pengelly, D. 2023. Seeing the wood for the trees, irregular silviculture supports bat populations in conifer plantations. Forest Ecology and Management 544: doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121214
- Newson, S.E. & Panter, T.L. 2023. Ryevitalise - Bats and Ancient Trees, 2023 Report. BTO Research Report 763:
- Newson, S.E., Else, R., Crymble, J., Gilbert, G., Tosh, D.G. & Booth Jones, K.A. 2023. Bioacoustics as a novel approach for detecting the presence of Brown Rats on seabird islands. BTO Research Report 755: