Phil Stevenson is Professor of Plant Chemistry at the Natural Resources Institute.  

Length of time at the University 
30 years  

Commodities or Specialist areas 
Plant Chemistry, Chemical Ecology, Pollination Biology, Natural Pest Regulation, Bee nutrition and health 

Previous positions, including teaching and research positions 
Phil holds a dual position as Head of Department of Traits and Interactions at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew where he is also a UKRI Merit researcher. 

Highlights in terms of research, publications and awards 
Phil’s work over 30 years has focused on chemical traits that mediate plant interactions and inform nature-based solutions to global challenges including biodiversity loss and sustainable food production. These studies reveal important discoveries of broad international significance and have led to the development of a field of research studying how the chemistry of pollen and nectar influences pollinator health, behaviour and ecology.  

Phil has been PI or Co-PI on more than 40 research projects ranging in value up to £2.5 million and in collaboration with more than 30 international research partners in over 20 countries with a total project value of £23 million (£15.0 million as PI). Funding sources include fourteen UKRI projects (BBSRC, NERC, Innovate UK, EPSRC), European Union (Africa Caribbean & Pacific Sci & Tech Program and ICART CRARF), NSF (US), USDA, McKnight Foundation, Leverhulme Trust.  

ISI Web of Science data: 210 ISI-publications, 8583 citations H-index = 51   

Google Scholar data:  >300 Publications with 16400 citations, H-index = 70  

Phil’s work is published in some of natiral sciences highest ranking journals including in Nature (2025), Science (2013, 2020), Science Advances (2026), Nature Sustainability (2024) Current Biology (2017, 2019, 2021), Ecological Monographs (2019), Science of the Total Environment (2026), New Phytologist, (2021, 2025), Functional Ecology (2016, 2017, 2023), Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2021, 2025) and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (2022, 2022, 2022), Journal of Environmental Management (2026)  

Phil’s research also has a commercial focus: he has published patents on Bee Nutrition and has had 5 projects (2 X Innovate UK and 2 X BBSRC including a BBSRC IPA) collaborating with commercial partners. 

Memberships of government or private funded bodies and associations.  
A former Deputy Chair of the Advisory Board for UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Bees & Pollinators and continues to advise them on invasive species including for a cross party select committee hearing in July 2026 which will be published in November 2026 

Panel member of the UK/Defra Pollinator Advisory Steering Group in which he has co-authored the UKs Pollinator Actions Plan 202-2025 and 2026-2030.   

UK governments (Defra) National focal point for Microbial and Invertebrate Genetic Resources for UN Food and Agriculture agencies (UN-FAO). 

Review panel member for Thematic Assessment on Pollinators, Pollination & Food Production for the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 

Invited to give evidence at the 2024 cross party Science Innovation and Tech select committee hearing on invertebrate health in UK and food systems.   

Board member of Brentford Football Clubs sustainability committee.  

Editor for Plants People Planet, on editorial boards for Industrial Crops and Products  

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry  

Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society 

Edited a special issue on pollinator health in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. (2021)   

Grant reviewer for UKRI (NERC, FLF, BBSRC), National Science Foundation (Swiss); Fund for Scientific Research-FNRS (F.R.S – FNRS) (Belgium), UKRI Talent Peer Review College.  

Key collaborators include  

• Professor Geraldine Wright – Hope Professor of Zoology Jesus College, University of Oxford.  
• Professor Mark Brown Director of the Museum of Zoology University of Cambridge.    
• Prof Lynn Adler University of Massachusetts 
• Prof Becky Irwin North Caroline State University.  
• Prof Julia Koricheva Royal, Holloway University of London 
• Prof Irina Borodino Technical University of Denmark.  

Phil’s research focusses on the biological and ecological role of plant chemicals and understanding how these metabolites drive plant-insect interactions, and support invertebrate ecosystem services and sustainable agriculture. 

This includes research on i) nutrients and specialised metabolites in pollen and nectar and their influence on pollinator behaviour, health and ecology; ii) natural pest resistance in crops; iii) how landscape diversity supports pollination and natural pest regulation in small holder farming systems; and iv) the use of pesticidal plants (botanical pesticides) as environmentally benign alternatives to synthetic products. 

His research has transformed our understanding of how floral chemistry influences pollinator behaviour, health and ecology providing the first evidence that nectar metabolites (e.g. caffeine) enhanced pollinator memory for learned floral cues (Wright et al., 2013, Science), establishing a new research field. Building on this, his research showed that bumble bees can be trained in-hive using caffeinated food and floral odours to preferentially forage on target crops (Arnold et al., 2021, Current Biology), creating opportunities to optimise commercial pollination services in glasshouse crops.   

Phil’s work also reported the first ecologically relevant example of nectar providing medicinal benefits to pollinators reporting that callunene, a nectar metabolite in ling heather (Calluna vulgaris), prevents acquisition of a major bumble bee parasite Crithidia bombi (Koch et al., 2019, Current Biology). The work subsequently showed that nectar metabolites in agri-environment flower strips can reduce disease impacts from Nosema bombi (Folly et al., 2021, Proceedings B), revealing how habitat management can contribute directly to pollinator health and a current NERC grant is studying this phenomenon in colony and field experiments (Jones et al, 2025, Proceedings B).   

Phil’s work on bee development and lipidome has shown that pollen sterols are essential nutrients for bees and could inform solutions to colony collapse in honeybees (Moore et al. 2025 Nature).   Furthermore, pollen sterols vary dramatically across plant taxa (Baker et al., 2025 New Phytologist) and that wild bees have specific lipid requirements as their sterolome closely matches that of their food (Baker et al., iScience).  

In total I have been PI or Co-PI on more than 40 research projects ranging in value up to £2.5 million and in collaboration with more than 30 international research partners in over 20 countries with a total project value of £22 million (£14.0 million as PI). Funding sources include 14 UKRI projects (BBSRC, NERC, Innovate UK, EPSRC), European Union (Africa Caribbean & Pacific Sci & Tech Program and ICART CRARF), NSF (US), USDA, McKnight Foundation, Leverhulme Trust.  

Example of 4 recent or current UKRI grants below. 

The influence of diet on the honeybee lipidome BBSRC (BB/T014210/1) (2020-2024) £350K 

Lipids are essential nutrients for cell membranes, hormones, and energy storage. Because bees cannot synthesise polyunsaturated fatty acids or sterols, dietary lipids may have particularly strong effects on their health and development. Using advanced lipidomics, we examined how dietary lipids shaped the lipid composition of all honey bee castes and life stages. Experiments with chemically defined diets revealed how specific fatty acids influenced nutrient regulation and tissue lipid profiles, and how worker diets affect the lipids supplied to larvae, queens, and drones. These findings provided key insights into bee nutrition and established a foundation for improving bee health and welfare. 

Moore et al. 2025 Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09431-y 

Furse et al., 2023 Metabolomics  

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-023-02039-1 

Wright et al., Patent US 19368057 2026/4/23 

Are sterols landscape limiting nutrients for wild bees in the UK?  

NERC (NE/V012282/1 £650K. (2020-2024) 

Sterols are essential nutrients that insects cannot synthesise de novo and must obtain from their diet. Our research shows that pollen contains highly diverse sterol profiles, but that bee development depends on specific sterols such as 24-methylenecholesterol (24MC) for honey bees and which is abundant in pollens frequently collected by them. Our research showed that wild bee species possess distinct sterol profiles that closely match those of the pollen they collect, suggesting species-specific sterol requirements. This project provided the first comprehensive assessment of pollen and bee sterols, testing how sterols influence wild bee development, specialisation, and population dynamics, while informing pollinator conservation and landscape restoration strategies. 

Baker et al, 2025 New Phytologist 

https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fnph.70470 

Baker et al., 2026 iScience https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.115264 

Optimising Nature's pharmacies: plant chemicals and pollinator health at the landscape scale.  

NERC 2024-2027 NE/Y000285/1 £850K.  

Pollinators are essential for wild plant reproduction and crop production, yet many bumble bee species are declining due to habitat loss, pesticides, and diseases. Flowers provide not only nectar and pollen but also bioactive compounds that can improve bee health. This project builds on our earlier discovery that ling heather produces callunene, a natural nectar metabolite that protects bumble bees against a damaging gut parasite. This project investigated whether these benefits extend from individual bees to entire colonies and examines how callunene production varies across lowland heathlands. The findings will help quantify the health value of heathland habitats and guide management practices that maximise benefits for pollinators. 

Koch et al., 2019 Current Biology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.037 

Jones et al., 2025 Proc B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.1865 

Optimization of pollination of greenhouse-grown tomatoes by bumblebees 

BBSRC 2025-2027 BB/Z51438X/1 £778K 

Bees are essential pollinators of many crops, and bumblebees (Bombus terrestris audax) are widely used to pollinate those in protected and controlled environment.  For example, bumble bees improve fruit size and yield in greenhouse tomatoes. However, colony performance is variable, short-lived, and poorly monitored. This project, with Thanet Earth and Bee-Ops, is developing methods to monitor and enhance bumblebee pollination in UK tomato production. Using AI-enabled sensors, we will assess pollination efficiency, colony health, and foraging activity. We are investigating how colony development and nutrition affect performance and will test floral scent conditioning to improve pollination. The findings will inform new management strategies to maximise tomato yields and potentially benefit other protected crops. 

Wright et al. 2013. Science 10.1126/science.1228806 

Arnold et al., 2021 Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.068Koch 

Phil has supervised more than 20 PhD students to completion.   

Professor (20% FTE).

• Individual Merit Researcher UKRI awarded 2016, 2021 and 2023 (IMP level 2). 
• Aiton Medal Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.  
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry 
• Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society.  
• Editorial Board of Plant People Planet and Industrial Crops and Products,  

• Baker EC, Lamborn E, Berry K, Wright GA and Stevenson PC (2026). Specialisation and adaptation in the use of pollen sterols by wild bees. iScience 29, 115264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.115264
• Martel C, Kreidt J, Furse S, Scott J, Griffiths-Lee J, Wright GA, Stevenson PC. (2026) Pollen and Sterol Content Differentially Affect Solitary Bee Development Science of the Total Environment, 1012, e181213 doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.181213
• Arguile L, Smith J, Kipling RP, Burton V, Clark K, Cole LJ, Dhandapani S, Fisher KF, Garratt MPD, Gathorne-Hardy A, Girling L, Girling RD, Herzog F, Hood ASC, Koch H, Lea V, Lee M, Lyon F, Mauchline A, McHugh NM, Norton LR, Parker J, Potts SG, Ramsden M, Senapathi D, Simonson WD, Smith A, Smith BM, Smith P, Stevenson PC, Storkey J, Topp CFE, Varah A, Venn R, Woodcock BA, Bardsley N, Smith L. 2026 Developing Biodiversity Indicators for Monitoring Agricultural Sustainability: Insights from a Delphi Expert Process. Journal of Environmental Management 419, 131056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.131056
• Wan NF, Li M, Shen S, Zhou JX, Zhu YT, Woodcock BA, Hu YQ, Nakagawa S, Tilman D, Hector A, Loreau M, Reich PB, Dainese M, Isbell F, Schmid B, Wyckhuys KAG, Gurr GM, Wan L, Eisenhauer N, Hautier Y, Eskelinen A, Bardgett RD, Kardol P, Fraser LH, Su Q, Qiu S, Aartsma Y, Albajes R, Albrecht M, Ali MP, Alvarez HA, Anagonou C, Axmacher JC, Bahauddin D, Bai Y, Bakker ES, Batáry P, Bianchi FJJA, Boetzl FA, Brandmeier J, Bruelheide H, Butcher BA, Butt A, Cai Z, Campbell AJ, Cao F, Cesarz S, Chamorro-Lorenzo L, Chen F, Chen JT, Chen J, Chen LL, Chen Y, Clemente-Orta G, Croijmans L, Crowder D, Da Silva Pachú JK, Dassou A, De Sousa Ramalho F, Döring TF, Ebeling A, Sales Fernandes F, Geisen S, Gidey T, Conde Godoy WA, Guo J, Hatt S, Heimpel G, Heinze J, Helzer C, Horgan FG, Hu X, Huang Z, Jacobsen SK, Jactel H, Joern A, Jonsson M, Kiriga AW, Kosmala M, Kuang L, Kumar S, Heidari Latiberi M, Li C, Li FR, Li FY, Li J, Likun L, Li Q, Li X, Li Y, Li Y, Liu JL, Liu J, Liu WJ, Liu Y, Liu Z, Losapio G, Lu X, Lundin O, Ma Q, Madeira F, Malaquias JB, Ghafouri Moghaddam M, Monmany-Garzia AC, Moreira X, Morente M, Mutua BK, Mutyambai DM, Nakano Y, Novotny V, Ochieng LO, Pappagallo S, Paredes D, Petermann JS, Poelman EH, Portal O, Qu MJ, Ramos Y, Rizvi S, Ruano F, Sang W, Sans-Serra FX, Sattler C, Schöb C, Schrader J, Schuldt A, Settele J, Shang J, Sigsgaard L, Sosa-Gómez DR, Staab M, Steffan-Dewenter I, Stevenson PC, Straub C, Sujii ER, Sutter L, Szefer P, Tahir HM, Tan X, Tanada A, Brum Togni PH, Török E, Tous-Fandos A, Tovignan S, Tschumi M, Twerski A, Utsumi S, Van Apeldoorn DF, Vogel C, Wäckers FL, Wang D, Wang L, Wang L, Wang MQ, Wang S, Wang X, Wang X, Wang Y, Wang YZ, Weisser WW, Welti EAR, Wenda-Piesik A, Wu W, Xi X, Xu Q, Xu Z, Yi H, Zhang L, Zhang X, Zhang X, Zhang Z, Zhong Z, Zhu CD, Zhu H, Zhu P, Zhu Y, Zou Y, Scherber C. 2026. Plant diversity modifies multi-trophic interactions in croplands, grasslands and forests. Science Advances. 12, eaeb8680. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb8680
• Baker EC, Lamborn E, Quiñonez J, Karlsdottir S, Sheppard A, Moore E, Kunin W, Wright GA, Stevenson PC. (2025). Pollen sterols are highly diverse but phylogenetically conserved. New Phytologist, 248, 936–952. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70470
• Moore E, de Sousa R., Arnesen JA, Dyekjær JD, Farman DI, Felsinger S, Stevenson PC, Borodina I, and Wright GA. 2025. Engineered yeast provide rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybee colonies. Nature, 646, 365–371. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09431-y
• Jones LC, Feng X, O’Rourke J, Stevenson PC and Brown MJF (2025). Heather nectar extracts reduce within-colony epidemics of the bumblebee parasite Crithidia bombi. Proc R. Soc. B., 292, e20251865. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.1865
• Cooper AN, Malmgren L, Hawkes FM, Farrell IW, Hien DFdS, Hopkins RJ, Lefèvre T, Stevenson PC. (2025). Identifying Mosquito Plant Hosts from Ingested Nectar Secondary Metabolites, Scientific Reports 15, 6488. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88933-1
• Furse S, Martel C, Koch H, Willer DF, Stabler, D, Fernandez-Twinn DS, Scott J, Patterson-Cross R, Watkins AJ, Virtue S, Prescott TAK, Baker E, Chennells J, Vidal-Puig A, Ozanne SE, Kite GC, Vítová M, Chiarugi D, Moncur J, Koulman A, Wright GA, Snowden SG, Stevenson PC. 2024 Systemic analysis of lipid metabolism from individuals to multiorgan systems, Molecular Omics 20, 570-583. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MO00083H
• Burger H, Buttala, S., Koch, H, Ayasse, M., Johnson SD, Stevenson PC 2024 Nectar cardenolides and floral volatiles mediate the specialized wasp pollination system of an African milkweed. Journal of Experimental Biology, 227, jeb246156. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.246156
• Furse S, Martel C, Yusuf A, Shearman G, Koch H and Stevenson PC. 2023. Sterol composition in plants is specific to pollen, leaf, pollination and pollinator. Phytochemistry 214, 113800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2023.113800
• Felix, J, Stevenson PC, Koricheva J. 2023. Plant Neighbourhood Diversity Effects on Leaf Traits: A Meta analysis, Functional Ecology. 12, 3150-3163. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14441
• Furse S, Koch H, Wright, GA & Stevenson PC. 2023, Sterol and lipid metabolism in bees. Metabolomics 19, 78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-023-02039-1
• Fattorini R. Farrel IW, Rosindell, J, Egan, P. Stevenson P.C. 2023. Grayanotoxin I variation across different tissues and species of Rhododendron suggest pollinator and herbivore defence trade-offs. Phytochemistry, 212, 113707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2023.113707
• Figueroa, LL, Fowler A, Lopez S, Amaral VE, Koch H, Stevenson PC, Irwin RE Adler LS, Sunflower spines and beyond: mechanisms and breadth of pollen that reduce gut pathogen infection in bumble bees. 2023 Functional Ecology 37, 1757–1769 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14320
• Stevenson PC, Koch H, Nicolson S, Brown MJF 2022. Natural processes influencing pollinator health. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 377, 20210154 https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0154
• Egan, P.A., Stevenson, P.C. and Stout. J.C. 2022. Pollinator selection against toxic nectar as a key facilitator of a plant invasion, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 377, 20210164. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0168
• Koch H, Welcome V, Kendal-Smith A, Thursfield L, Farrell IW, Langat MK, Brown MJF, Stevenson PC 2022. Host and gut microbiome modulate the antiparasitic activity of nectar metabolites in a bumblebee pollinator. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 377, 20210162. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0162
• Parreño M.A., Alaux C., Brunet J.-L., Buydens L., Filipiak M., Henry M., Keller A. Klein A.-M., Kuhlmann M., Leroy C., Meeus I., Palmer-Young E., Piot N., Requier F., Ruedenauer F., Smagghe G., Stevenson P.C. and Leonhardt S.D. (2022) Critical links between biodiversity and health in wild bee conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 37, 309-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.11.013
• Woolley VC Tembo, YLB, Ndakidemi, B., Obanyi, JN, Arnold SEJ, Belmain SR, Ndakidemi PA, Ogendo JO, Stevenson PC (2022). The diversity of aphid parasitoids in East Africa and implications for biological control. Pest Management Science. 78, 1109–1116. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.6723
• Arnold, SEJ, Dudenhöffer, J, Fountain, MT, James, KL., Hall, DR, Farman, DI, Wäckers, F & Stevenson, PC. 2021. Bumble bees show an induced preference for flowers when primed with caffeinated nectar and a target floral odour. Current Biology, 31 (18), 4127-4131. e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.068
• Arnold, S.E.J., Elisante, F., Mkenda, P.A., Tembo, Y., Ndakidemi, P.A., Gurr, G.M., Darbyshire, I., Belmain S.R. Stevenson P.C. 2021. Beneficial insects are associated with botanically rich margins with trees on small farms. Scientific Reports, 11, 15190. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94536-3
• Folly, A., Koch, H., Stevenson PC and Brown MJF. 2021. Agri-environment nectar chemistry supresses parasite social epidemiology in an important pollinator. Proceedings B. 288: 20210363
• Zu, P., Koch, H., Schwery, O., Pironon, S., Phillips, C., Ondo, I., Farrell, I.W., Nes, W.D., Moore, E., Wright, G.A., Farman, D.I., Stevenson P.C. 2021 Pollen sterols are associated with phylogenetics and environment but not with pollinators New Phytologist, 230, 1169-1184. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17227
• Amoabeng, B., Stevenson, P.C., Mochiah, B., Asare, K.P., Gurr, G.M. 2020. Scope for non-crop plants to promote conservation biological control of crop pests and serve as sources of botanical insecticides. Scientific Reports, 10, 6951.
• Stevenson P.C. Bidartondo, M.I., Blackhall-Miles, R., Cavagnaro, T.R., Cooper, A., Geslin, B., Koch, H., Lee, M.A., Moat, J., O’Hanlon, R., Sjöman, H., Sofo, A., Stara, K., Suz, L.M. 2020. State of the World’s Urban Ecosystems: what can we learn from trees, fungi and bees? Plants, People, Planet. 2, 482-498. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10143
• Zu P, Boege, K., del-Val, E., Schuman, M.C., Stevenson, P.C., Zaldivar-Riveron, A., Saavedra, S. 2020. Information arms race explains plant-herbivore chemical communication in ecological communities, Science, 368, 1377-1381. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba2965
• Folly, AJ, Stevenson P.C., Brown, M.F.J. (2020). Age-related pharmacodynamics in a bumblebee-microsporidian system mirror similar patterns in vertebrates. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223, jeb217828.
• Stevenson P.C. 2020. For antagonists and mutualists: the paradox of insect toxic secondary metabolites in nectar and pollen. Phytochemistry Reviews, 19, 603-614.
• Koch, H., Woodward, J., Langat, M., Brown. M.J.F. and Stevenson P.C. (2019) Flagellum removal by a nectar metabolite inhibits infectivity of a bumblebee parasite. Current Biology, 29, 3494–3500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.037
• Elisante, F. Ndakidemi, P.A., Arnold, S.E.J., Belmain, S.R., Gurr, G.M., Darbyshire, I., Xie, G., Tumbo, J., and Stevenson, P.C. (2019) Knowledge Gaps on The Role Of Pollinators And Value Of Field Margins Among Smallholders In Bean Agri-Systems, Journal of Rural Studies, 70, 75-86
• Scott-Brown AS, Arnold SEJ, Kite G.C., Farrell IW, Farman, D.I., Collins D.W., Stevenson PC. (2019) Mechanisms in mutualisms: A chemically mediated thrips pollination strategy in common elder. Planta, 250, 367-379
• Palmer-Young, E., Egan, P., Farrell, I., Adler, L.S., Irwin, R.E., Stevenson, P.C. 2019 Chemistry of floral rewards: intra- and interspecific variability of nectar and pollen secondary metabolites across taxa, Ecological Monographs, 89, e01335. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1335
• Palmer-Young, E.; Farrell, I.W.; Adler, L.S; Milano, N., Egan, P; Irwin, R; Stevenson, P.C. 2019. Secondary metabolites of nectar and pollen: a data resource for ecological and evolutionary studies. Ecology, 100, e02621
• Prado, S.G., Collazo, J.A., Stevenson, P.C., Irwin, R.E. 2019 A comparison of coffee floral traits under two different agricultural practices, Scientific Reports 9, 7331.
• Davis, J.K, Aguirre, L.A., Barber, N.A, Stevenson, P.C. and Adler, L.S., 2019 From plant fungi to bee parasites: mycorrhizae and soil nutrients shape floral chemistry and bee pathogens. Ecology 100, e 02802.
• Egan, P., Adler, L.S., Irwin, R.E., Farrel, I.W., Palmer-young, E., Stevenson P.C. 2018. Crop Domestication Alters Floral Reward Chemistry with Potential Consequences for Pollinator Health Frontiers in Plant Science. 9, 1357.
• Adler, L.S., Ellner, S.P., McArt, S.H., Stevenson, P.C., Irwin, R.E. 2018 Diseases where you dine: Plant species and floral traits associated with pathogen transmission in bumble bees. Ecology, 99, 2535-2545
• Tembo, Y., Mkindi, A., Mkenda, P., Mpumi, Mwanauta, R., Stevenson P.C., Ndakidemi, P. Belmain S.R. 2018. Pesticidal Plant Extracts Improve Yield and Reduce Insect Pests on Legume Crops without Harming Beneficial Arthropods. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 1425.
• Stevenson, P.C., Farrell, I., Green P.W.C., Mvumi, B., Brankin A., Belmain, S.R. 2018. Novel Agmatine Derivatives in Maerua edulis With Bioactivity Against Callosobruchus maculatus, a Cosmopolitan Storage Insect Pest. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 1506.
• Arnold, S.E.J., Perry, G.B., Spinelli, G.R., Pierre, B., Murray, F., Haughton, C., Dockery, O., Grey, L., Murphy, S.T., Belmain, S.R. & Stevenson, P.C. 2018. The significance of climate in the pollinator dynamics of a tropical agroforestry system. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 254, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.11.013
• Barlow, S., Wright G.A., Ma, C., Barberis, M., Farrell, I.W., Marr, E.M., Brankin, A., Pavlik, B.M., Stevenson, P.C. 2017. Distasteful nectar deters floral robbery. Current Biology, 27, 2552-2558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.012
• Koch, H., and Stevenson, P.C. (2017) Do Linden trees kill bees? Reviewing the causes of bee deaths on Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa). Biology Letters, 13, 20170484.
• Wright, G.A., Shafir, S., Nicolson, S.W. and Stevenson, P.C. (2017) Bee Nutrition. GB Patent 2016/053573 Filed 16.11.2016 Issued 25/05/17
• Green, P.W.C., Belmain, S.R., Ndakidemi, Patrick A., Farrell, I.W. and Stevenson, P.C. (2017) Insecticidal activity in Tithonia diversifolia and Vernonia amygdalina. Industrial Crops and Products. 110, 15-21.
• Stevenson, P.C., Isman, M. B. and Belmain, S.R. (2017) Pesticidal plants in Africa: a global vision of new biological control products from local uses. Industrial Crops and Products. 110, 2-9.
• Rioba, N. B. and Stevenson, P.C. (2017) Ageratum conyzoides L. for the management of pests and diseases by small holder farmers. Industrial Crops and Products. 110, 22-29.
• Kamanula, J.F., Belmain, S.R., Hall, D.R., Farman, D.I., Goyder, David J., Mvumi, Brighton M., Masumbu, Friday F. and Stevenson, P.C. (2017) Chemical variation and insecticidal activity of Lippia javanica (Burm. F.) Spreng essential oil against Sitophilus zeamais. Industrial Crops and Products. 110, 75-82.
• Egan, P.A., Richardson, L., Stevenson P.C. (2017). Nectar feeders take their vitamins. Science. eLetter. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6326/733/tab-e-letters
• Anyanga, M.O, Yada B., Yencho, G.C., Ssemakula, G.N., Farman, D. I., Mwanga, R.O.M and P.C. Stevenson. 2017. Segregation of Hydroxycinnamic Acid Esters Mediating Sweetpotato Weevil Resistance in Storage Roots of Sweetpotato Frontiers in Plant Science. 8, 1011.
• Koch, H., Brown M.J.F., Stevenson P.C. (2017) The role of disease in bee foraging ecology, Current Opinion in Insect Science. 21, 60–67.
• Stevenson, P.C., Nicolson, S.W. Wright, G.A. (2017). Plant Secondary Metabolites in Nectar: Impacts on Pollinators and Ecological Functions. Functional Ecology, 31, 65-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12761
• Mkindi, A., Mpumi, N., Tembo, Y., Stevenson, P.C., Ndakidemi, P.A., Mtei, M., Machunda, R., Belmain, S.R. (2017) Invasive weeds with pesticidal properties as potential new crops, Industrial Crops and Products. 110, 113-122.
• Palmer-Young, E.C., Sadd, B.M., Stevenson, P.C. Irwin, R.E. and Adler, L.S. (2016) Bumble bee parasite strains vary in resistance to phytochemicals, Scientific Reports, 6, 37087.
• Scott-Brown, AS, Gregory, T, Farrell, IW, Stevenson PC. 2016. Leaf trichomes and foliar chemistry mediate defence against glasshouse thrips; Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis (Bouché) in Rhododendron simsii. Functional Plant Biology, 43, 1170–1182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/FP16045
• Stevenson, P.C., Green, P.W.C., Veitch, N.C., Farrell, I., Kusolwa, P. Belmain, S.R., (2016) Nor-Hopanes explain pest control activity of Zanha africana root bark. Phytochemistry. 123, 25–32.
• Tiedeken E-J., Egan, P.A., Stevenson, P.C., Wright, G.A., Brown, M.J.F., Power, E.F., Farrell., I., Matthews, S.M., Stout, J.C. (2016) Nectar chemistry modulates the impact of invasive plant species on native pollinators. Functional Ecology. 30, 885-893.
• Wright, G.A., S. Shafir, S. W. Nicolson, P. C. Stevenson. UK Priority Patent no. P030809GB. A pollen substitute for bees. Filed 16 Nov 2015.
• Amoabeng, B. W., Gurr, G. M. Gitau, C. W., Stevenson, P. C. (2014). Cost: benefit analysis of botanical insecticide use in cabbage: implications for smallholder farmers in developing countries. Crop Protection. 57, 71–76.
• Grzywacz, D., Stevenson, P.C., Belmain, S.R., Wilson, K. (2014) The Use of Indigenous Ecological Resources for Pest Control in Africa, Food Security, 6, 71–86.
• Sola, P., Mvumi, B.M., Ogendo, J.O., Mponda, O., Kamanula, J.F., Nyirenda, S.P., Belmain S.R. and Stevenson. P.C. (2014) Botanical pesticide production, trade and regulatory mechanisms in sub-Saharan Africa: making a case for plant-based pesticidal products Food Security, 6, 369–384.
• Wright, G. A., Baker, D., Palmer, M. J., Stabler, D., Mustard, J.D., Power, E., Borland, A. M., and Stevenson, P. C. (2013) Caffeine in floral nectar enhances a pollinator’s memory of reward. Science, 339: 1202-1204. 10.1126/science.1228806
• Vanbergen, AJ, Baude, M., Biesmeijer, J.C., Britton, N.F., Brown, M.J.F., Brown, M., Bryden, J., Budge, G.E., Bull, J.C., Carvell, C.C., Challinor, A.J., Connolly, C.N., Evans, D.J., Feil, E.J., Garratt, M.P., Greco,M.K., Heard, M.S., Jansen, V.A.A., Keeling, M.J., Kunin W.E., Marris, G.C. Memmott, J., Murray, J.T., Nicolson,S.W., Osborne, J.L., Paxton, R.J., Pirk, C.W.W., Polce, C., Potts, S.G., Priest, N.K., Raine, N.E., Rushton, S.P., Ryabov, E.V., Shafir, S. Shirley, M.D.F., Simpson, S.J., Smart, S.M., Stevenson, P.C., Stone, G.N., Termansen, M., Wright, G.A., (2013) Threats to an ecosystem service: multifactorial pressures on insect pollinators. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 11 (5): 251-259.
• Stevenson, P.C. Kite G.C., Lewis G.P., Nyirenda S.P., Forest F. Belmain, S.R, Sileshi, G. and Veitch, N.C. (2012) Distinct chemotypes of Tephrosia vogelii and implications for their use in pest control and soil enrichment. Phytochemistry, 78, 135-146.
• Belmain, S.R., Amoah, B.A., Nyirenda, S.P., Kamanula, J.F. Stevenson, P.C. (2012) Highly Variable Insect Control Efficacy of Tephrosia vogelii Chemotypes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60: 10055–10063.
• Arnold, S.E.J., Belmain, S.R., and Stevenson, P.C. (2012) Odour-mediated orientation of beetles is influenced by age, sex and morph. PLoS ONE. 7 (11); e49071.
• Sarasan, V., Kite G.C., Sileshi, G.W., Stevenson P.C. (2011). The application of Phytochemistry and in vitro tools to the sustainable utilisation of medicinal and pesticidal plants for income generation and poverty alleviation. Plant Cell Reports, 30:1163–1172.
• Aslam, S.N., Stevenson, P.C., Kokubun, T. and Hall, D.R. (2009) Antibacterial and antifungal activity of cicerfuran and related 2-arylbenzofurans and stilbenes. Microbiological Research, 164, 191-195.
• Sánchez-Medina, A., Stevenson, P.C., Habtemariam, S., Peña-Rodríguez, L.M., Corcoran, O., Mallet, A.I. & Veitch, N.C. (2009) Triterpenoid saponins from a cytotoxic root extract of Sideroxylon foetidissimum subsp. gaumeri, Phytochemistry, 70, 765-772.
• Stevenson, P.C. Jayasekera,T.K., Belmain, S.R., Veitch, N.C. (2009). Bisdesmosidic saponins from Securidaca longepedunculata (Polygalaceae) with deterrent and toxic properties to Coleapteran storage pests. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 57 (19), 8860–8867.
• Sánchez-Medina, A, Stevenson, P.C., Habtemariam, S., Peña-Rodríguez, L.M., Corcoran, O., Mallet, T.A., Veitch, N.C. (2008) Triterpenoid saponins from the cytotoxic root extract of Sideroxylon foetidissimum, an endemic Yucatecan medicinal plant, Planta Medica, 74, 908-909
• Kestenholz C, Stevenson, P.C. and Belmain S.R. (2007) Comparative effects of field and laboratory evaluations of the ethnobotanical Cassia sophera L. (Leguminosae) for bioactivity against the storage pests Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Journal of Stored Products Research, 43, 78-86.
• Aslam, S.N., Stevenson, P.C. Phythian, S. J., Veitch, N. C. & Hall, D. R. (2006) Synthesis of cicerfuran, an antifungal benzofuran, and some related analogues. Tetrahedron, 62 (17), 4214-4226.
• Stevenson, P.C., Simmonds, M.S.J., Yule, M., Veitch, N.C., Kite, G.C. Irwin, D., and Legg, M. (2003) Insect antifeedant furanocoumarins from Tetradium daniellii, Phytochemistry, 63, 41-46.
• Wright, G.A., Simpson, S. J., Raubenheimer, D. and Stevenson, P.C. (2003). The feeding behavior of the weevil, Exophthalmus jekelianus, with respect to the nutrients and allelochemicals in host plant leaves. Oikos, 100, 173-185.
• Stevenson, P.C. (2002) Why the world should heed the mountains? Lancet, 360, 626.
• Stevenson, P.C. (2002) High-risk healthcare in war-torn Nepal. Lancet, 359, 1495.
• Stevenson, P.C., Sampson, J., Simmonds, M.S.J., Houghton, P.J. and Grice, P. (2002) Wound healing activity of acylated iridoid glycosides from Scrophularia nodosa. Phytotherapy Research, 62 (1), 33-35.
• Belmain, S.R. & Stevenson, P.C. (2001) Ethnobotanicals in Ghana: reviving and modernising an age-old practise. Pesticide Outlook (6), 233-238.
• Stevenson, P.C. (2001) The torturous road to democracy – domestic crisis in Nepal, Lancet, 358, 752-756.
• Simmonds, M.S.J, Stevenson, P.C., Porter E. and Veitch, N.C. (2001) Three new tetranortriterpenoids from the roots of Trichilia pallida with insect anti-feedant activity. Journal of Natural Products, 64, 1117-1120.