Dr Steven Allain

Since the beginning of his academic journey at ARU in 2012, Steven has been researching various aspects of the ecology and conservation of native herpetofauna. One of his long-term projects is the monitoring of populations of midwife toads throughout Great Britain, an introduced species that has been present for over a hundred years. Additionally, Steven has conducted research in a number of other countries such as Malaysia and the Netherlands. These projects have helped Steven to gain recognition through his work, but also the opportunity to publish his research in a number of different journals.

Steven completed his PhD at the University of Kent before joining ARU, where he won funding from the Natural Environment Research Council to conduct research on the impact of ophidiomycosis in a population of grass snakes in Norfolk. This project helped to strengthen Steven’s approach to collaboration, using a multidisciplinary team in order to help overcome the challenges associated with research. This includes working with other ecologists, wildlife veterinarians, microbiologists and other such specialists.

• Emerging infectious diseases in herpetofauna
• Introduced species of herpetofauna
• Survey techniques of herpetofauna
• Amphibian bioacoustics
• Population genetics/genomics of herpetofauna

Steven welcomes applications from undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in carrying out research projects in those subject areas listed above. Prospective students do not necessarily need a solid research idea or plan – the passion for research and willingness to learn is paramount though.

• BSc Animal Science
• BSc Animal Management (Pet Behaviour and Welfare)
• BSc Animal Management (Zoo and Wildlife Conservation)
• MSc Animal Welfare and Conservation

• PG Cert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Anglia Ruskin University
• PhD Biodiversity Management, University of Kent
• MRes Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Imperial College London
• BSc (Hons) Zoology, Anglia Ruskin University

Memberships:

• Fellow, the Linnean Society
• Fellow, Zoological Society of London
• Fellow, Higher Education Academy
• Trustee, British Herpetological Society
• Member, British Ecological Society
• Member, British Mycological Society
• Member, Natural Sciences Collections Association
• Member, Royal Society of Biology
• Member, Society for the History of Natural History
• Member, The Systematics Association
• Member, IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
• Member, IUCN SSC Snake Specialist Group

Editorial boards:

• Senior Editor, Reptiles and Amphibians
• Associate Editor, The Herpetological Journal

Allain, S. J. R. (2025). Bad newts? A century of introduced Alpine Newt populations in Britain. British Wildlife, 37(1), 12–17.

Mattea, R. G., Jones, D., Allain, S. J. R., Barahona-Velastegui, A. M. & Peck, M. (2025). Comparisons of the impacts of disturbance on amphibian species richness in the Chocóan Rainforest, Ecuador. Herpetological Journal, 35(4), 323–332.

Torres-Sánchez, M., Goutte, S., Liedtke, H. C., Allain, S. J. R., Ahammed, M. S., Calatayud, N., Comeault, A., Elmer, K., Eterovick, P. C., Gilbert, E., Guayasamin, J. M., Hernández-Poveda, M., Kotharambath, R., Lechuga Paredes, P., Mahapatra, C., Mulder, K. P., Nadaline, J., Najafi-Majd, E., Pollet, N., Rubio, A. O., Sachslehner, A. P., Sanz-Sobrino, L., Siu-Ting, K., Snead, A. A., Strowbridge, N., Themudo, G. E., Vivas Barreto, D., Wogan, G. O. U., Wollenberg Valero, K. C. & The Amphibian Genomics Consortium. (2025). Comparative biology needs de novo transcriptome assemblies: drawing attention towards amphibians. Amphibia-Reptilia, 46(3), 283–301.

Duffus, A. L. J., Hughes, D. F., Kautz, A. R., Allain, S. J. R., Meshaka Jr., W. E. (2025). Low Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Among 14 Amphibian Species at a Protected Site in the Northeastern United States. Northeast Naturalist, 32(2), 142–150.

Morrison, C., Scherer, C. R., O'Callaghan, E. V., Layton, C., Boisvert, C., Rolando, M. A., Durrant, L., Salas, P., Allain, S. J. R. & Gascoigne, S. J. L. (2025). Rise of the king: Gondwanan origins and evolution of megaraptoran dinosaurs. Royal Society Open Science, 12, 242238.

Allain, S. J. R. & Leech, T. (2024). Ophidiomyces ophidiicola in Britain, the cause of ophidiomycosis (snake fungal disease). Field Mycology, 25(3), 102-104.

Elfering, R., Mannix, S., Allain, S., Ambu, A., Crochet, P.-A., van Doorn, L., Dufresnes, C., Jehle, R., Julian, A., Baird, F. K., O'Brien, D., Secondi, I., Speybroeck, J., Theodoropoulos, A., Stark, T. & Wielstra, B. (2024). Extreme genetic depletion upon postglacial colonization hampers determining the provenance of introduced palmate newt populations. Amphibia-Reptilia, 45(3) 349–356.

Allain, S. J. R. (2024). A beep in the dark: 120 years of the Common Midwife Toad in Britain. British Wildlife, 35(6), 401–406.

Gardner, E., Robinson, R. A., Julian, A., Boughey, K., Langham, S., Tse-Leon, J., Petrovskii, S., Baker, D. J., Bellamy, C., Buxton, A., Franks, S., Monk, C., Morris, N., Park, K. J., Petrovan, S., Pitt, K., Taylor, R., Turner, R. K., Allain, S. J. R., Bradley, C., Broughton, R. K., Cartwright, M., Clarke, K., Cranfield, J., Fuentes-Montemayor, E., Gandola, R., Gent, T., Hinsely, S. A., Madsen, T., Reading, C., Redhead, J. W., Reveley, S., Wilkinson, J., Willians, C., Woodward, I., Baker, J., Briggs, P., Dyason, S., Langton, S., Mawby, A., Pywell, R. F. & Bullock, J. M. (2024). A family of process-based models to simulate landscape use by multiple taxa. Landscape Ecology, 39(5), 102.

Allain, S. J. R., Leech, D. I., Hopkins, K., Seilern-Moy, K., Fernandez, J, R.-R., Griffiths, R. A. and Lawson, B. (2024). Characterisation, prevalence and severity of skin lesions caused by ophidiomycosis in a population of wild snakes. Scientific Reports, 14, 5162.

Robbemont, J., van Veldhuijzen, S., Allain, S. J. R., Ambu, J., Boyle, R., D., Cvijanović, M., Dufresnes., C., Ennis, C., Gandola, R., Jablonski., D., Julian, A., Kranželić, D., Lukanov, S., Martínez-Solano, I., Montgomery, R., Naumov, B., O’Neill, M., North, A., Pabijan, M., Puschendorf., R., Salvi, D., Schmidt, B., Sotiropoulos, K., Stanescu, F., Stanković, D., Stapelton, S., Šunje, E., Szabolcs, M., Vacheva, E., Willis, D., Zimić, A., France, J., Meilink, W. R. M., Stark, T., Struij, R. P. J. H., Theodoropoulos, A., de Visser, M. C. and Wielstra, B. (2023). An extended mtDNA phylogeography for the alpine newt illuminates the provenance of introduced populations. Amphibia-Reptilia, 44(3), 347-361.

Duffus, A. L. J., Hughes, D. F., Kautz, A., Allain, S. J. R. and Meshaka, W. E. (2022). Repeated Sampling Of Wild Individuals Reveals Ophidiomyces ophidiicola Infection Dynamics In A Pennsylvania Snake Assemblage. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 58(2), 290-297.