About

I am an eco-physiologist interested in seeing how organisms respond to differing environmental settings.  My goal is to help sustain future marine based food supplies whilst ensuring economic & environmental sustainability. The work I conduct is highly multi-disciplinary & to the benefit of my research I have worked across across both industry & academia within the fields of aquaculture, climate change and plastic pollution. I’m currently based in the University of Rhode Island’s College of Environment & Life Sciences within the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture & Veterinary Science where I’m conducing research and teaching. Below is a brief CV outline to exemplify my recent activities.

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Education:

• PhD Earth Sciences (2013) – University of Cambridge, UK
• MSc Marine Biology with Distinction (2002 – 2003)  – Bangor University, UK
• BSc Marine Biology with Oceanography (1999 – 2002) – Bangor University, UK

 

Employment history:

• Associate Professor -Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Sciences, University of Rhode Island, USA (2024 – present)
• Assistant Professor -Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Sciences, University of Rhode Island, USA (2018 – 2024)
• Lecturer in Marine Biology – School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, UK (2016 – 2018)
• Teaching & Learning Support – School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, UK (2015 – 2016)
• Post Doctorate Researcher – School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, UK (2012 – 2015) – NERC Standard Grant No. NE/J007544/1
• PhD Student – University of Cambridge & the British Antarctic Survey, UK (2008 – 2012)
• Hyperbaric Chamber Attendant – Scottish Association for Marine Science Diving Centre, UK (2007 – 2008)
• Support Scientist – Scottish Association for Marine Science, UK (2005 – 2008) – Project SPIINES2
• Benthic Macro Fauna Processor – Hebog Environment, Menai Technology, UK (2004)
• Aquaculture Technician – Indian Ocean Aquaculture, Mozambique (2003 – 2004)
• Research Technician – Bangor University, Centre of Arid Zone Studies, UK (2002 – 2003)

 

Selected current & recent funding:

• 2024-2027       NSF Research experiences for undergraduates (REU). REU Site: Plastic initiative at the University of Rhode Island, Co-PI with Craver (PI, URI). $435,893
• 2023-2025       USDA-NIFA (2023-67016-39787). Examining temporal shifts in green sea urchin reproduction which could impact production, PI. $300,000
• 2023-2024       Rhode Island Sea Grant/NOAA (NA22OAR4170123). Working towards developing sea urchin aquaculture in Rhode Island: A case study for working towards diversification, PI. $97,364
• 2022-2025       Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – Environmental response and transgenerational effects of ocean warming and nutrition on edible sea urchins: Implications for harvesting and aquaculture, Co-PI with Lourenço (PI, Polytechnic Institute of Leira). $75,155
• 2022-2024       Northeast SARE Partnership Grant/USDA – A partnership for innovative use of emerging species in aquaculture, PI. $29,496
• 2020-2024       Rhode Island Sea Grant/NOAA – Are microplastics a vector for organic pollutants and disease in marine food webs, Co-PI with Davies (PI, URI). $441,161
• 2020-2023       Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Center (USDA-NIFA 2020-38500-32716). Expanding green sea urchin production by removing key aquaculture challenges, PI. $100,000
• 2018-2023       USDA RIAES Hatch (RI0019-H020) – From Genomes to Farms:  Novel tools for managing the impact of climate change on food production, Co-I with Gomez Chiarri (PI, URI).  $4.3 million

 

Selected recent invited presentations:

• ‘The aquaculture of green sea urchins in New England’. Maine Aquaculture Hub & Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center Webinar Series. 2024.
• ‘Microplastics’. Metropolitan Association of College and University Biologists (MACUB) at the State University of New York (SUNY) Old Westbury. 2022.
• ‘Plastic Pollution in Narragansett Bay’. Coastal State Discussion Series (Hosted by RI Sea Grant). Apr. 2022.
• ‘Determining whether microplastics impact marine organisms’. RI-INBRE Virtual Northeast Regional IDEA Conference (Session organizers JP Walsh (URI) & Cody Sharpe (RWU)). Aug. 2021.
• ‘Working towards sustainability’, Rhode Island School of Design (Host Anastasiia Taina). Mar. 2021.
• ‘Sustainable aquaculture and anthropogenic pressure: A story of fish sea urchins and integration’, Brown University (Host Gary Wessel). Mar. 2021.
• ‘Addressing predictive modeling knowledge gaps to improve information used in decision-making.’ – Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Institute, USA – May 2019.
• ‘A slow-growing perspective on multi-generational responses to future change.’ – Honorarium Seminar Speaker, Werth Center for Coastal and Marine Studies, Southern Connecticut University, USA – Mar. 2019.

 

Selected recent conference presentations:

• ‘Expanding Northeastern US green sea urchin production & their potential to reduce biofouling of shellfish’. Northeast Aquaculture Conference. Oral. Jan. 2024.
• ‘Expanding green sea urchin production by removing key aquaculture challenges’. American Aquaculture Conference. Oral. Mar. 2022.
• ‘The impacts of microplastics on a largely overlooked marine invertebrate – the sea urchin’. National Shellfish Association Virtual Conference. Oral. Mar./Apr. 2021.
• ‘A slow growing perspective on multi-generational responses to future change.’ World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (WCMB), Montreal, Canada – May 2018.
• ‘Metabolic responses of two species of brachyuran crustaceans to multiple-stressors’. World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (WCMB), Montreal, Canada – May 2018.

 

Peer review activities:

• Reviewer of manuscripts for > 20 journals, e.g. Biology Letters, Geophysical Research Letters, Global Change Biology, Marine Environmental Research, Frontiers in Marine Science, Nutrients, PLOS ONE, Polar Biology, & Science of the Total Environment.
• Reviewer of IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Second Order Draft of the Working Group I – Chapter 10: Linking global to regional climate change. Training March 2020, Reviewing, May 2020.
• Grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation, British Ecological Society (Grants Committee member & Peer Review College member (2013-2019)), French National Agency for Research, NOAA Sea Grant , Research Grants Council of Hong Kong & the USDA Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.
• Academic Teaching Reviewer for the Higher Education Academy (2016-2019).

 

Recent outreach:

• Green sea urchin Aquaculture regional informational document for prospective growers. Maine Sea Grant.
• Live Radio interview with KCBS radio (CA) on plastics and climate change (Oct. 2021), with an average of 216,500 weekly listeners.
• BBC Science Cafe Interview with Adam Wharton discussing why starfish were stranded on our shores after big storms. Apr. 2018.
• Articles for The Conversation: ‘Starfish can see in the dark’& ‘Why thousands of starfish have washed up on the shore’. Feb. – Mar. 2018.

 

Teaching & supervision:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
• Winner of the ‘Open’ Category for the Student Led Teaching Awards (2015) & nominated for ‘Best Feedback’ (2016).
• Supervised a large number of undergraduate & postgraduate students since 2010.
• Teach undergraduates & graduates across AFS425 Aquaculture & the Environment (3c), AFS488G Marine Plastic Pollution (3c with lab), AFS291 Research Skills (1c lab), BES600 Graduate Seminar Series (1c).
• Research led teaching: In summary, I have supervised 23 summer interns, >50 undergraduate projects, 14 MS project students, 5 PhD students, & 9 International placement students (e.g. Global Approach by Modular Experiments with Kiel University) across a broad range of topics including climate change, micro-plastic pollution, aquaculture methodology & polar science. Projects are a mix of desk-based studies & applied projects utilizing laboratory & aquarium facilities on a range of organisms including fish, decapod crustaceans, echinoderms & mollusks.

 

Council & professional membership:

Council membership

• Senior Fellow of the Coastal Institute (Since 2021).
• BES (British Ecological Society) Grants Committee Member (2014-2019).
• SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Ocean Acidification Action Group member (2013+).
• APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists) Representative for the SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic Thresholds – Ecosystem Resilience & Adaptation group (AnT-ERA).
• Co-convener for the Session ‘Ocean Acidification’, XXXII SCAR Open Science (Oregon, USA, July 2012) with Richard Bellerby & James Orr.
• UK Polar Network, British Branch of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, Secretary (2012-2013), Workshops & Events (2011-2012).

Professional membership

British Ecological Society, National Shellfish Association, Ocean Acidification Information Exchange, Royal Society of Biology, Society for Experimental Biology, World Aquaculture Society.