I am a theoretical ecologist with a focus on tropical forest ecology, biodiversity, ecosystem function, ecosystem services, and alien invasive species. Biodiversity is a marvellous feature of the planet Earth. Understanding the drivers of biodiversity patterns and the relationship of biodiversity to ecosystem function and human wellbeing are core scientific goals. In my lab, we use quantitative tools from mathematics, statistics and computer science to seek an understanding of the causes and consequences of biodiversity at different spatial and temporal scales. We focus particularly on tropical forest tree communities, which are renowned for their high diversity