Dr Joshua Kestel is a passionate scientist with a particular interest in pollination and conservation. He has specialised in applying molecular technologies to understand the interactions between plants and the animals upon which they often rely to facilitate gene flow.

Joshua's research has spanned bird pollination during his Honours studies at the University of Western Australia; the development of environmental metabarcoding applications for detecting insect species in avocado orchards during his PhD at Curtin University; and the examination of genomic diversity to unravel a species complex of an endangered Grevillea and identify the remaining genetic diversity of a Critically Endangered Acacia during his tenure with the Western Australian Government's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

In 2025, Joshua was awarded a Newton International Fellowship and began his ongoing appointment at the University of Cambridge, where he works with Prof. Beverley Glover on the plant-pollinator interactions of the world's most variable daisy, Gorteria diffusa. In 2026, he was awarded the Royal Society's Public Outreach Fund and began writing a children's book about the pollination of Gorteria diffusa to inspire curiosity about the green kingdom among young learners and help address plant awareness disparity.

Selected Publications:

Range-wide sampling and genomic analyses delimit entities within the morphologically challenging Grevillea brachystylis complex - https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boaf039

Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals complex interactions between natural capital in orchards: Insights into arthropod community dynamics and foraging diversity - 10.1016/j.indic.2025.100765

Spatio-temporal variation in arthropod-plant interactions: A direct comparison of eDNA metabarcoding of tree crop flowers and digital video recordings - 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112827

Environmental DNA metabarcoding of pan trap water to monitor arthropod‐plant interactions - 10.1002/edn3.527

Applications of environmental DNA (eDNA) in agricultural systems: Current uses, limitations and future prospects - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157556

Awards and Prizes:

Newton International Fellowship and Royal Society's Public Outreach Fund