William Mills
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100
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Senior Research Fellow
- Research in ecology, ecotoxicology and environmental pollution
- Departmental Director of Postgraduate Research (Physical Geography and Environmental Science)
- Postgraduate research supervision and undergraduate teaching
Areas of interest
- Ecotoxicology and environmental pollution
- Avian ecology and conservation
- Seabirds as indicators of environmental change and pollution
- Ecological and environmental applications of stable isotopes
Research centres and groups
Environmental Science Research DivisionBackground
Dr William Mills is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Reading and an Honorary Researcher in the Ecosystems Programme of the British Antarctic Survey (2024-present). His research mainly focuses on the ecology and conservation of seabirds, with a particular emphasis on environmental pollution and its impacts on marine ecosystems. He investigates the exposure and effects of chemical contaminants (including trace elements and persistent organic pollutants) as well as plastics and other marine debris. He also uses seabirds as indicators of wider oceanographic and environmental change. He recently completed a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (“Historical seabird specimens as hidden archives of marine pollution”) at the University of Reading.
William completed his PhD with the University of Exeter and the British Antarctic Survey in 2021, with a thesis entitled “Trophic ecology and mercury contamination of seabird communities in the Southern Ocean”. Prior to his PhD, he obtained a master's degree from the University of Oxford and an undergraduate degree from the University of Warwick.
You can connect with him via email (w.f.mills@reading.ac.uk) and LinkedIn and visit his ResearchGate and Google Scholar profiles for up-to-date publications.
Academic qualifications
PhD (University of Exeter & British Antarctic Survey)
MSc (University of Oxford)
BSc (Hons) (University of Warwick)
Selected publications
Ibañez, A.E., Mills, W.F., Bustamante, P., McGill, R.A.R., Morales, L.M., Palacio, F.X., Torres, D.S., Haidr, N.S., Mariano-Jelicich, R. and Montalti, D. (2022) Variation in blood mercury concentrations in brown skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) is related to trophic ecology but not breeding success or adult body condition. Marine Pollution Bulletin 181, 113919.Mills, W.F., Ibañez, A.E., Bustamante, P., Carneiro, A.P.B., Bearhop, S., Cherel, Y., Mariano-Jelicich, R., McGill, R.A.R., Montalti, D., Votier, S.C. and Phillips, R.A. (2022) Spatial and sex differences in mercury contamination of skuas in the Southern Ocean. Environmental Pollution 297, 118841.
Mills, W.F., McGill, R.A.R., Cherel, Y., Votier, S.C. and Phillips, R.A. (2021) Stable isotopes demonstrate intraspecific variation in habitat use and trophic level of non‐breeding albatrosses. Ibis 163, 463-472.
Mills, W.F., Morley, T.I., Votier, S.C. and Phillips, R.A. (2021) Long-term inter-and intraspecific dietary variation in sibling seabird species. Marine Biology 168, 31.
Mills, W.F., Bustamante, P., McGill, R.A.R., Anderson, O.R.J., Bearhop, S., Cherel, Y., Votier, S.C. and Phillips, R.A. (2020) Mercury exposure in an endangered seabird: long-term changes and relationships with trophic ecology and breeding success. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287, 20202683.
Mills, W.F., Xavier, J.C., Bearhop, S., Cherel, Y., Votier, S.C., Waluda, C.M. and Phillips, R.A. (2020) Long-term trends in albatross diets in relation to prey availability and breeding success. Marine Biology 167, 29.