Dr Cicely Marshall

I am a botanist, ecologist and conservationist specializing in the rainforest flora of west Africa, and Britain’s plants and habitats. My work seeks to bring about better outcomes for people and nature during economic development. I combine fieldwork and plant identification with biogeographic, ecological, phylogenetic and modelling methods to fill ecological knowledge gaps and translate this knowledge for business and government. 

After a BA (MA Oxon) in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford and MA in Environmental Studies at Brown University (USA), I completed my doctorate at the Department of Plant Sciences of Oxford University. I held a Research Fellowship at King’s College, University of Cambridge until 2025, where I am now an Associate of the Senior Combination Room. I am Course Director for Cambridge’s UGCert in Ecology and Conservation, and retain affiliations with the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, and the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute (UCCRI). I am a Research Fellow with the Countryside & Community Research Institute in Cheltenham, University of Gloucestershire. 

Alongside my academic research and teaching, I work as a freelance ecological consultant specialising in botanic and habitat assessment in the UK and west Africa. I use my dual perspective as academic and practitioner to inspire students and guide their professional development.