About Us

EcoWarwicker came about from a fortuitous meeting of worlds back in 2009. Robin had a background in environmental sciences and then specialized in ancient DNA research heading up a world leading group at the University of Warwick using ancient environmental DNA to reconstruct past environments and retrieve ancient genomes. Francesca worked for an ecological consultancy surveying for protected bat species. They realized that the techniques being applied in the ancient DNA laboratory could be used to aid the ecological consultancy work by enabling species identification of bats from their guano. It was an immediate success, and also demonstrated that this was a far more reliable approach than had previously been used by surveyors. Bit by bit word spread between ecological surveyors and more and more folk requested our service, and requested that we identify various other species too, such as otter and mink. In 2011 the National Trust called us in to use our techniques to examine a mauled deer carcass in the hopes of identifying the beast of Woodchester. Rumours abounded of a panther on the loose. We didn't find it, but we found plenty of fox DNA (a much under rated predator in the UK!). Since then we've tested tens of thousands of bat samples as well as other mammal species, and of course samples in the hope finding the elusive UK panther. Elusive, that is, until 2024, when we finally did find panther DNA from a swab of a carcass in the Lake District.

We have been pervasively present from the beginning and feel some pride in our influential contribution to kick starting the eDNA revolution in ecological consultancy. We are the engine for many ecological consultancies that offer DNA tests as a service. As a company rooted in a research group we pride ourselves on our academic rigour and provide tests only of the highest reliability. We also think communication is key. We are in constant personal and friendly communication with all clients answering queries. We already test for most British mammals, but we are happy to talk if there are specific tests you would like designed. We can also advise you on how to approach scientific questions you may wish to ask.

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EcoWarwicker Expertize

EcoWarwicker sits within a research environment with dedicated forensic level laboratories producing world leading publications in Science and Nature family journals. We have capabilities in genomics and archaeogenomics (the retrieval of genomes from archaeological material), as well as metagenomic profiling of modern and ancient environments from environmental DNA. We host PhD training in conservation genetics and our wider support team are involved in eDNA biodiversity profiling in partnership with local government to meet Biodiversity Net Gain goals.