Watt, Penelope, Dr

Dr Penelope Watt

School of Biosciences

Senior Lecturer in Zoology

p.j.watt@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0076

Alfred Denny Building

Full contact details

Dr Penelope Watt
School of Biosciences
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
��«Ӱҵ
S10 2TN

Profile: I am a behavioural ecologist working on personality traits, the genetic basis of behaviour and the impact of stress on behaviour, including transgenerational effects and potential epigenetic mechanisms, in fish. We also work on earthworm behaviour, distribution and health with the view to improve soil quality.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Journal articles

Guevara-Fiore P, Stapley J & Watt PJ (2010) . BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 64(10), 1665-1672.
Guevara-Fiore P, Rosenqvist G & Watt PJ (2010) . BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 64(10), 1601-1607.
Guevara-Fiore P, Stapley J, Krause J, Ramnarine IW & Watt PJ (2010) . ANIM BEHAV, 79(6), 1191-1197.
Shohet AJ & Watt PJ (2009) . J FISH BIOL, 75(6), 1323-1330.
Guevara-Fiore P, Skinner A & Watt PJ (2009) . ANIM BEHAV, 77(2), 425-431.
Romey WL, Walston AR & Watt PJ (2008) . BEHAV ECOL, 19(1), 74-78.

All publications

Journal articles

Berthon K, Jaworski CC, Beacham JD, Jackson P, Leake J, McHugh NM, Capstick L, Daniell T, Krzywoszynska A, Cameron D , Holland J et al (2024) . Environmental Research: Food Systems, 1(2).
Kitson JE, Ord J & Watt PJ (2022) . Biomolecules, 12(8).
Ord J, Fazeli A & Watt PJ (2022) . Environmental Biology of Fishes, 105(6), 741-751.
Alfakih A, Watt PJ & Nadeau NJ (2022) . Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(10).
Berdeni D, Turner A, Grayson RP, Llanos J, Holden J, Firbank LG, Lappage MG, Hunt SPF, Chapman PJ, Hodson ME , Helgason T et al (2021) . Soil and Tillage Research, 212.
Ord J, Holmes KE, Holt WV, Fazeli A & Watt PJ (2020) . Journal of Fish Biology, 96(2), 506-515.
Eachus H, Bright C, Cunliffe VT, Placzek M, Wood JD & Watt PJ (2018) . ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology, 15.
Ord J, Fazeli A & Watt PJ (2017) . Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 1014(Periconception in Physiology and Medicine), 117-135.
Eachus H, Bright C, Cunliffe VT, Placzek M, Wood JD & Watt PJ (2017) . Human Molecular Genetics, 26(11), 1992-2005.
Ariyomo TO & Watt PJ (2015) . Journal of Fish Biology, 86(6), 1852-1859.
Ariyomo TO & Watt PJ (2013) . Behavioral Ecology, 24(6), 1320-1326.
Ariyomo TO, Carter M & Watt PJ (2013) . Behav Genet, 43(2), 161-167.
Ariyomo TO & Watt PJ (2013) . Animal Behaviour.
Ariyomo TO & Watt PJ (2012) . Animal Behaviour, 83(1), 41-46.
Ariyomo TO & Watt PJ (2011) The effect of variation in boldness and aggressiveness on the reproductive success of zebrafish. Animal Behaviour.
Watt PJ, Skinner A, Hale M, Nakagawa S & Burke T (2011) Small Subordinate Male Advantage in the Zebrafish. Ethology.
Watt PJ, Skinner A, Hale M, Nakagawa S & Burke T (2011) . Ethology, 117(11), 1003-1008.
Guevara-Fiore P, Stapley J & Watt PJ (2010) . BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 64(10), 1665-1672.
Guevara-Fiore P, Rosenqvist G & Watt PJ (2010) . BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 64(10), 1601-1607.
Guevara-Fiore P, Stapley J, Krause J, Ramnarine IW & Watt PJ (2010) . ANIM BEHAV, 79(6), 1191-1197.
Guevara-Fiore P, Stapley J, Krause J, Ramnarine IW & Watt PJ (2010) . Animal Behaviour, 79(6), 1191-1197.
Guevara-Fiore P, Rosenqvist G & Watt PJ (2010) Inbreeding level does not induce female discrimination between sibs and unrelated males in guppies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 1-7.
Shohet AJ & Watt PJ (2009) . J FISH BIOL, 75(6), 1323-1330.
Guevara-Fiore P, Skinner A & Watt PJ (2009) . ANIM BEHAV, 77(2), 425-431.
Romey WL, Walston AR & Watt PJ (2008) . BEHAV ECOL, 19(1), 74-78.
Skinner AMJ & Watt PJ (2007) . BEHAV ECOL, 18(5), 905-909.
Skinner AMJ & Watt PJ (2007) . BEHAV ECOL, 18(1), 47-52.
Shohet AJ & Watt PJ (2004) . BEHAV ECOL SOCIOBIOL, 55(4), 363-369.
Watt PJ & Shohet AJ (2003) . Journal of Fish Biology, 63(s1), 258-258.
Watt PJ, Shohet AJ & Renshaw K (2001) Female choice for good genes and sex-biased broods in guppies. J FISH BIOL, 59(4), 843-850.
Woodward M, Winder L & Watt P () . Fishes, 4(1), 22-22.
Ord J, Heath PR, Fazeli A & Watt PJ () . Molecular Ecology.

Preprints

Llanos J, Hipperson H, Horsburgh G, Lappage M, Maher KH, Burke T, Leake JR & Watt PJ (2023) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Research group

Current graduate students

2016 - Joseph Llanos. Earthworm distribution and population dynamics. PhD.
2017 - Wafa Abudayah. Anxiety as a personality trait in zebrafish. PhD.
2018 - Charlotte Redfern. Telomeres and stress in zebrafish. Masters.
2018 - Joel Kelly. Transgenerational stress & gene expression in zebrafish. MRes.
2018 - Stephanie Faulkner. Lateralisation and aggression in fish. MRes.
2018 - Chloe Mcloughlin. Earthworm behaviour and immunity. Masters.

Recent graduate students

2012-15 Helen Eachus. Behavioural and endocrine analysis of stress responses and the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in developmental plasticity of stress phenotypes in zebrafish. PhD.
2014-18 James Ord. Parental stress and its effects on the offspring of guppies and zebrafish. PhD.
2016-17 Juliet Kitson. Maternal chronic ethanol exposure influences social and anxiety-like behaviours in zebrafish offspring. Masters.
2016-17 Poppy Craig. The effects of sex, drug naivety and the bold-shy continuum on anxiety of adult zebrafish during ethanol withdrawal. Masters.
2017-18 Betsy Stanhope. Transgenerational effects of stress on anxious and aggressive behaviours in the zebrafish. Masters.
2017-18 Grace Holland. The effect of tetracycline on the health of Lumbricus terrestris. Masters.

+ 8 other PhD students that successfully defended their thesis. 10+ masters students.

Grants

2015 EpiStressNet: A biosocial systems approach to understanding the epigenetic embedding of social stress responses (co-investigator). ESRC/BBSRC (£249, 704).

Teaching activities

I am L1 and Senior Tutor, the Disability Liaison Officer and Head of Exams in APS. I was awarded APS Teacher of the Year in 2010.

In L2, I teach APS272 (Animal Diversity) and APS226 (Animal Diversity Practicals). As a zoologist, I have a real passion for animals and I hope to put this across in teaching.

In L3, I supervise projects (APS345) in behavioural ecology. I have an interest in science education in primary and secondary schools, which stems from being a school governor and being involved in science outreach, and I supervise students taking the Undergraduate Ambassador Scheme (APS340).

Professional activities and memberships

Member of the University Discipline, Appeals and Faculty Student Review Committees
External Examiner, University of Nottingham (Zoology) (from Oct 2017)
Member of Inner International Assessment Board, Irish Research Council, Dublin (March 2017, 2019)
Invited seminar, Merton College Biology Society, University of Oxford (Feb 2017) APS Christmastime Lecture (Dec 2016)
ASAB Easter 2014 Conference organizer, April 2014, University of ��«Ӱҵ
Member of the Field Studies Council Executive Committee (from 2011-17)
Member of the Field Studies Council Education Committee (from 2011-17) & Chair (2016-17)
Invited speaker: Fishing for Clues – the mystery of the zebrafish revealed. LASA (2011)