Professor Jonathan Potts

School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Head of Mathematical and Statistical Modelling Research Cluster

Professor of Mathematical Biology

Jonathan Potts
Profile picture of Jonathan Potts
j.potts@sheffield.ac.uk
Hicks Building

Full contact details

Professor Jonathan Potts
School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Hicks Building
Hounsfield Road
Sheffield
S3 7RH
Profile

I graduated in September 2012 with a PhD from the University of Bristol, before taking up a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Prof. Mark Lewis FRS. In September 2014, I joined the University of Sheffield as a Lecturer, where I have remained (from January 2024 as Professor of Mathematical Biology).

Research interests

Mathematical biology, biological movement, statistical ecology, nonlinear partial differential equations, movement ecology, nonlocal advection

Summary of Research Project(s)

My research focuses on biological movement. Most of it so far has been on understanding animal movement and space use, using mathematical models to understand what drives animals to move and how they ultimately locate themselves in space.

This has led in various directions. Mathematically, I have made contributions to applied partial differential equations (PDEs), particularly those involving non-local advection: i.e. movement triggered by non-local sensing (animals looking around them to decide where to go; cells using protrusions to sense the environment). My interest in emergent patterns has led to a particular interest in bifurcations and stable steady states of these PDEs. Biologically, I have been involved in developing techniques for analysing data with mathematical models, such as iSSA and deepSSF, as well as applying these techniques to a variety of specific ecological questions.

From time to time, my work also has veered into related areas of biology, such as biological invasions, optimal foraging, and life-history trade-offs. Recently, I have been increasingly interested in other aspects of biological movement, such as neuron morphology and collective cell movement. Papers on these will be forthcoming, I hope!

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

  • Potts JR, Börger L, Tucker MA, Ossi F, Yanco SW, Ellis‐Soto D, Müller T, Oliver RY, Alves MH, Arnold W , Attias N et al (2026) . Journal of Animal Ecology.
  • Gunner RM, Wilson RP, Lurgi M, Börger L, Redcliffe J, Shepard ELC, Holton MD, Crofoot MC, Alagaili A, Andrzejaczek S , Ariano‐Sánchez D et al (2026) . Ecological Monographs, 96(2).
  • Mohring B, Potts JR, Wilson AJ, Réale D, Phillips RA, Weimerskirch H, Barbraud C, Bennison A, Delord K, Wood AG , Peroteau S et al (2026) . Ecology Letters, 29(4).
  • Alharbi AF, Blackwell PG, Alagaili A, Bennett NC, Scantlebury DM & Potts JR (2026) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 17(3), 889-902.
  • Forrest SW, Pagendam D, Hassan C, Potts JR, Drovandi C, Bode M & Hoskins AJ (2026) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 17(2), 371-391.
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis MA & Potts JR (2025) . Aims Mathematics, 10(9), 21254-21272.
  • Potts JR (2025) . Journal of Mathematical Biology, 90(6).
  • Liu D, Potts JR, Salmaniw Y, Shi J & Wang H (2025) . Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 476.
  • Painter KJ, Giunta V, Potts JR & Bernardi S (2024) . Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 21(219).
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis MA & Potts JR (2024) . Nonlinear Analysis: Real World Applications, 78.
  • Potts JR & Painter KJ (2024) . Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 86(3).
  • Michelot T, Klappstein NJ, Potts JR & Fieberg J (2024) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 15(1), 24-35.
  • Painter KJ, Hillen T & Potts JR (2024) . Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences, 34(1), 57-107.
  • Potts JR & Börger L (2022) . Journal of Animal Ecology.
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis MA & Potts JR (2022) . Journal of Mathematical Biology, 85(5).
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis M & Potts J (2022) . SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 21(3), 1686-1708.

All publications

Books

  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) . Springer.

Journal articles

  • Alharbi AF, Blackwell PG, Redcliffe J, Börger L & Potts JR (2026) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
  • Potts JR, Börger L, Tucker MA, Ossi F, Yanco SW, Ellis‐Soto D, Müller T, Oliver RY, Alves MH, Arnold W , Attias N et al (2026) . Journal of Animal Ecology.
  • Gunner RM, Wilson RP, Lurgi M, Börger L, Redcliffe J, Shepard ELC, Holton MD, Crofoot MC, Alagaili A, Andrzejaczek S , Ariano‐Sánchez D et al (2026) . Ecological Monographs, 96(2).
  • Mohring B, Potts JR, Wilson AJ, Réale D, Phillips RA, Weimerskirch H, Barbraud C, Bennison A, Delord K, Wood AG , Peroteau S et al (2026) . Ecology Letters, 29(4).
  • Alharbi AF, Blackwell PG, Alagaili A, Bennett NC, Scantlebury DM & Potts JR (2026) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 17(3), 889-902.
  • Forrest SW, Pagendam D, Hassan C, Potts JR, Drovandi C, Bode M & Hoskins AJ (2026) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 17(2), 371-391.
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis MA & Potts JR (2025) . Aims Mathematics, 10(9), 21254-21272.
  • Potts JR (2025) . Journal of Mathematical Biology, 90(6).
  • Liu D, Potts JR, Salmaniw Y, Shi J & Wang H (2025) . Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 476.
  • Gomez S, English HM, Bejarano Alegre V, Blackwell PG, Bracken AM, Bray E, Evans LC, Gan JL, Grecian WJ, Gutmann Roberts C , Harju SM et al (2025) . Journal of Animal Ecology, 94(6), 1146-1164.
  • Forrest SW, Pagendam D, Bode M, Drovandi C, Potts JR, Perry J, Vanderduys E & Hoskins AJ (2025) . Ecography, 2025(2).
  • Painter KJ, Giunta V, Potts JR & Bernardi S (2024) . Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 21(219).
  • Ellison N, Potts JR, Boudreau MR, Börger L, Strickland BK & Street GM (2024) . Wildlife Biology: A journal for wildlife science, 2024(5).
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis MA & Potts JR (2024) . Nonlinear Analysis: Real World Applications, 78.
  • Potts JR & Painter KJ (2024) . Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 86(3).
  • Ellison N, Potts JR, Strickland BK, Demarais S & Street GM (2024) . Wildlife Biology, 2024(3).
  • Michelot T, Klappstein NJ, Potts JR & Fieberg J (2024) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 15(1), 24-35.
  • Painter KJ, Hillen T & Potts JR (2024) . Mathematical Models and Methods in Applied Sciences, 34(1), 57-107.
  • Potts JR & Börger L (2022) . Journal of Animal Ecology.
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis MA & Potts JR (2022) . Journal of Mathematical Biology, 85(5).
  • Wilson RP, Reynolds SD, Potts JR, Redcliffe J, Holton M, Buxton A, Rose K & Norman BM (2022) . iScience, 25(9).
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis M & Potts J (2022) . SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems, 21(3), 1686-1708.
  • Potts JR, Börger L, Strickland BK & Street GM (2022) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 13(8), 1805-1818.
  • Potts JR, Giunta V & Lewis MA (2022) . Oikos, 2022(6).
  • Klappstein NJ, Potts JR, Michelot T, Börger L, Pilfold NW, Lewis MA & Derocher AE (2022) . Journal of Animal Ecology, 91(5), 946-957.
  • Patrick SC, Réale D, Potts JR, Wilson AJ, Doutrelant C, Teplitsky C & Charmantier A (2022) . Ecology Letters, 25(5), 1139-1151.
  • Street GM, Potts JR, Börger L, Beasley JC, Demarais S, Fryxell JM, McLoughlin PD, Monteith KL, Prokopenko CM, Ribeiro MC , Rodgers AR et al (2021) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12(12), 2421-2431.
  • Jeffries PM, Patrick SC & Potts JR (2021) . Theoretical Ecology, 14(4), 575-587.
  • Potts J & Painter KJ (2021) . SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, 81(3), 1248-1263.
  • Munden R, Börger L, Wilson RP, Redcliffe J, Brown R, Garel M & Potts JR (2021) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 12(5), 921-932.
  • Ellison N, Hatchwell B, Biddiscombe S, Napper C & Potts J (2020) . Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(12), 2763-2776.
  • Potts JR & Schlägel UE (2020) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 11(9), 1092-1105.
  • Wilson R, Williams H, Holton M, di Virgilio A, Börger L, Potts J, Gunner R, Arkwright A, Fahlman A, Bennett N , Alagaili A et al (2020) . Ecology and Evolution, 10(10), 4291-4302.
  • Williams HJ, Taylor LA, Benhamou S, Bijleveld AI, Clay TA, de Grissac S, Demšar U, English HM, Franconi N, Gómez-Laich A , Griffiths RC et al (2020) . Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(1), 186-206.
  • Wang Y, Blackwell PG, Merkle JA & Potts JR (2019) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(10), 1664-1678.
  • Potts JR (2019) . Mathematics, 7(7).
  • Potts JR & Lewis MA (2019) . Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 81(7), 2725-2747.
  • Munden R, Borger L, Wilson R, Redcliffe J, Loison A, Garel M & Potts J (2019) . Ecology and Evolution, 9(1), 265-274.
  • Potts J, Fagan WF & Mourão G (2019) . Theoretical Ecology, 12(3), 307-318.
  • Potts J, Borger L, Scantlebury DM, Bennett N, Alagaili A & Wilson R (2018) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(10), 2091-2101.
  • Mokross K, Potts J, Rutt C & Stouffer P (2018) . Biotropica, 50(4), 654-673.
  • Bastille-Rousseau G, Murray DL, Schaefer JA, Lewis MA, Mahoney S & Potts JR (2018) . Ecography, 41(3), 437-443.
  • Potts JR & Petrovskii SV (2017) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 420, 190-199.
  • Merkle JA, Potts J & Fortin D (2017) . Oikos, 126(2).
  • Wang YS & Potts JR (2017) . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 416, 52-67.
  • Bastille-Rousseau G, Potts JR, Yackulic CB, Frair JL, Ellington EH & Blake S (2016) . Movement Ecology, 4.
  • Potts J & Lewis MA (2016) . Interface, 13(118).
  • Avgar T, Potts JR, Lewis MA & Boyce MS (2016) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(5), 619-630.
  • Demars CA, Breed GA, Potts J & Boutin S (2016) . American Naturalist, 187(5), 678-687.
  • Potts JR, Hillen T & Lewis MA (2016) . Theoretical Ecology, 9(2), 233-247.
  • Potts JR & Lewis MA (2016) . Journal of Mathematical Biology, 72(1-2), 25-46.
  • Bastille-Rousseau G, Potts JR, Schaefer JA, Lewis MA, Ellington EH, Rayl ND, Mahoney SP & Murray DL (2015) . Ecography, 38(10), 1049-1059.
  • Potts JR, Mokross K, Stouffer PC & Lewis MA (2014) . Ecology and Evolution, 4(24), 4578-4588.
  • Potts JR & Lewis MA (2014) . The American Mathematical Monthly, 121(9), 754-770.
  • Potts JR, Auger-Méthé M, Mokross K & Lewis MA (2014) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 5(10), 1012-1022.
  • Potts JR, Mokross K & Lewis MA (2014) . Interface, 11(96).
  • Potts JR & Lewis MA (2014) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1784).
  • Potts JR, Bastille-Rousseau G, Murray DL, Schaefer JA & Lewis MA (2014) . Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 5(3), 253-262.
  • Giuggioli L, Potts JR, Rubenstein DI & Levin SA (2013) . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(42), 16904-16909.
  • Giuggioli L, Potts JR & Harris S (2012) . Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 9(72), 1529-1543.
  • Potts JR, Harris S & Giuggioli L (2011) . Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, 44(48), 485003-485003.
  • Arnold DA, Potts JR, Kielland K & Breed GA () . The American Naturalist, 000-000.
  • Potts J, Harris S & Giuggioli L () . The American Naturalist, 182(3), E73-E82.
  • Potts JR, Harris S & Giuggioli L () . PLoS ONE, 7(3), e34033-e34033.
  • Giuggioli L, Potts JR & Harris S () . Physical Review E, 83(6).
  • Giuggioli L, Potts JR & Harris S () . PLoS Computational Biology, 7(3), e1002008-e1002008.

Book chapters

  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 233-256). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 19-68). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 69-105). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 107-154). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 257-285). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 195-209). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 1-18). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 287-305). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 155-193). Springer International Publishing
  • Lewis MA, Petrovskii SV & Potts JR (2016) , Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics (pp. 211-232). Springer International Publishing

Datasets

  • Munden R, Potts J, Börger L, Wilson R, Garel M, redcliffe J & Brown R .

Preprints

  • Potts J, Börger L, Tucker M, Ossi F, Yanco S, Soto DE, Mueller T, Oliver R, Alves M, Arnold W , Attias N et al (2025) , Wiley.
  • Forrest SW, Pagendam D, Hassan C, Drovandi C, Potts JR, Bode M & Hoskins AJ (2025) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Gunner R, Wilson R, Lurgi M, Borger L, Redcliffe J, Shepard E, Holton M, Crofoot M, Alagaili A, Andrzejaczek S , Ariano-Sánchez D et al (2024) , Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
  • Painter KJ, Giunta V, Potts JR & Bernardi S (2024) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Forrest SW, Pagendam D, Bode M, Drovandi C, Potts JR, Perry J, Vanderduys E & Hoskins AJ (2024) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Potts JR & Börger L (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Street G, Potts J, Börger L, Beasley J, Demarais S, Fryxell J, McLoughlin P, Monteith K, Prokopenko C, Ribeiro M , Rodgers A et al (2022) , Wiley.
  • Potts JR, Giunta V & Lewis MA (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Giunta V, Hillen T, Lewis MA & Potts JR (2021) Local and Global Existence for Non-local Multi-Species Advection-Diffusion Models.
  • Klappstein NJ, Potts J, Michelot T, Börger L, Pilfold N, Lewis M & Derocher A (2021) , Wiley.
  • Street GM, Potts JR, Börger L, Beasley JC, Demarais S, Fryxell JM, McLoughlin PD, Monteith KL, Prokopenko CM, Ribeiro MC , Rodgers AR et al (2021) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • Klappstein NJ, Potts J, Michelot T, Börger L, Pilfold N, Lewis M & Derocher A (2020) , Wiley.
  • Potts JR & Schlägel UE (2020) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
  • DeMars C, Breed GA, Potts J, Serrouya R & Boutin S (2016) , PeerJ.
  • DeMars C, Breed GA, Potts J, Serrouya R & Boutin S (2016) , PeerJ.
Research group

Mathematical and Statistical Modelling

Grants

Impacts of Habitat Loss, Animal Movement Behaviour, and Population Persistence (Leverhulme ECF-2025-084) 06/26-04/29 £101K

Measuring resource acquisition to reveal life-history trade-offs over different temporal scales (NERC NE/X000680/1) 11/23-05/27 £735K

Multi-species aggregation equations: a bridge between movement ecology and spatial population dynamics (EPSRC EP/V002988/1) 01/21-12/23 £438K

Advancing Spatial Analysis in the High- Performance Computing Era (US Department of Agriculture) 10/20-09/22 £12K

Dispersal through fitness landscapes in a social bird: from individuals to populations        (NERC NE/R001669/1) 03/18-12/21 £601K

Teaching activities
MAS108Mathematical Modelling 
Professional activities and memberships

EPSRC Peer Review College
NERC Peer Review College 
British Ecological Society (BES) Peer Review College
Deputy Secretary of the BES Movement Ecology group
Member of the British Ecological Society

Links