Rhys is a lecturer in livestock science at Aberystwyth University. Born and raised on an upland sheep and beef farm in north Wales, Rhys graduated with degrees in Agriculture (BSc) and Livestock science (MSc) at Aberystwyth University before completing a PhD titled Epidemiology of Rumen Fluke on Welsh farms. In his current role, as well as teaching agriculture and veterinary science students, Rhys also undertakes research which focuses on the sustainable control of parasites in cattle and sheep. Rhys is best known  for his development of an environmental DNA analysis methodology that is employed to identify fluke risk areas on farmland, a tool that has since been used to further our understanding of the ecology of Galba truncatula and the epidemiology of fluke parasites..