Jeremy Thomas, one of Europe's most accomplished butterfly experts, is Professor of Ecology at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of New College and of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. He previously worked as a research scientist at the Nature Conservancy's Monks Wood laboratory, at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology's Furzebrook Research Station, and at CEH's Dorset laboratory. He initially helped devise the methods used to monitor change in the distributions and abundance of butterflies, and for four decades has led research teams across Europe to study the ecology of threatened species, including the interactions between ants and butterflies. He has applied his research results widely to conserve declining European butterflies, including the five species of Large Blue. Thomas's work has attracted a variety of awards, including leading prizes for advancing the sciences of both Conservation Biology and Ecology, for natural history writing and for practical conservation.