For as many years as I can remember aquatic environments have held a fascination for me. This interest led me to undertake a BSc in Marine Biology at the University of Portsmouth. During that time I was able to focus on my interests in fish and follow up on my passion for sharks. I completed a final year project on the sexual dimorphism of olfactory organs in sharks. Upon graduation I was invited to travel to South Africa and assist in the research into the effects of cage diving on great white sharks. I then returned to Portsmouth and undertook a part-time PhD examining the sexual dimorphism of sharks in more detail, focusing on the responses to reproductive activities of shark species.

I was employed as a research assistant at the University of Portsmouth. The project examined the impacts of aquacultural effluents on the survival of juvenile salmon and the migration of adult salmon. For this project I spent many hours tagging and tracking adult fish and caging juvenile salmon downstream of fish farms in order to determine if the effluent from aquaculture was hindering migration for juvenile and adult salmon.

I was then employed as an environmental trainer running a canal boat for people carrying out community service orders. The projects undertaken involved river and canal restoration projects in conjunction with the canal and parks authorities in Surrey. This ranged from bank repair, removal of invasive non-native species of plant and lock maintenance and repair. One big project was the reinstatement of a water meadow and the installation of boardwalks for public access.

In my previous role I was employed as a lecturer for almost seven years at Sparsholt College in Hampshire, where I taught on the Fisheries Management and Aquaculture degrees, delivering topics in ecology, fish biology, fishery management, aquaculture and marine ecology. Whilst at Sparsholt I ran the majority of practical visits for the undergraduate students and for most weeks of the year I was out electro-fishing, seine netting or invertebrate and plant sampling.

In January 2015 I joined the University of Brighton and have since developed my research working widely across both the Centre for Aquatic Environments and The Ecology, Conservation and Zoonoses Research and Enterprice Group. Collaboration across these research groups has allowed an expansion of topics to incorporate a number of research areas from the impacts of invasive plant species on riverine macroinvertebrates, the effects of microplastics on the behaviour of marine crustaceans and the way in which aquacultural outputs affect the behaviour of a number of fish species. 

I teach across the ecology and environmental pathways and am based across the Hastings and Moulsecoomb Campuses. I am the course leader for the Joint Honour programme and pathway leader for environmental biology as well as year lead for the Integrated Foundation Year. I am module leader for Foundation Biology, Issues in Environmental Biology, the Project module and Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems. I also contribute to the teaching of several other modules, Biogeography, Introduction to Marine Biology and Ecology and Ecology Field Skills.

Having worked outside of academia for some time and having a vast range of practical experience it is important that the students are exposed to the real life scenarios that I can bring to my teaching. The fact that I use a lot of anecdotal evidence during my lectures is remarked upon often and this, combined with numerous practical visits that I run, seems to be one of the strengths to my lecture delivery.

Whether in the field, lab or lecture room I encourage students to be engaged committed and open to learning new ideas and concepts. I also integrate students, as far as possible, into my research activities. I encourage students to become involved, whether they volunteer to help with field work, assist PhD students or undertake projects focused on the research that am involved with.

My research interests focus primarily around the ecology of aquatic organisms with a specialism in fish. I am interested in the effects that pollutants have on the physiology, morphology and behaviour or a range of aquatic species, including crustaceans, teleost and cartilaginous fish species. I am interested in outputs from any kind of human activity, including sewage treatment plants, aquaculture facilities, agricultural run-off, pharmaceuticals and microplastic pollution. I focus mainly on larval fish as the early life stages are the most vulnerable and this is where many of the effects occur. I am interested in the sub-lethal effects of exposure to contaminants, those which do not kill the fish, but may make them unfit for survival in the wild, for example through reduced swimming or foraging capability, which can hinder feeding and can make them more vulnerable to predation. More recently I have started research projects examining the effects of microplastics and nanoparticles on fish and larvae and marine and freshwater invertebrates. The focus of this is the use of microbeads and nanoparticles found in cosmetics and skincare products, especially sunscreens, and the impacts they have on developmental processes of fishes.

I am also interested in the behaviour of captive fish in response to visitors in public aquaria. This has focused around both teleost and elasmobranch species and will extend to examine other organisms. In addition to the behaviour I am also interested in the sexual dimorphism of sharks, specifically the skin ad electrorecptive organs. I work in collaboration with the Kwazulu Natal Sharks Boards, examining the sexual dimorphisms of the dermal denticles (scales) on the skin of sharks. This leads to insights into the mating behaviours of shark species, acts that have rarely been witnessed. I am also developing projects with both the Inshore Fishery and Conservation Authorities and Natural England to determine how electric cabling may affect the behaviour of elasmobranch species and their behaviour. My research interests provide exciting opportunities for final year projects for undergraduate students. Projects I have been and am currently involved in include following:

Development and behaviour of zebrafish larvae exposed to zinc oxide and titanium dioxide

Determination of microplastic translocation in the velvet swimming crab (Necora puber)

Behaviour of the green shore crab (Carcinus maenas) exposed to microplastic beads

Behaviour of cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) exposed to microplastic beads

Presence of microplastics in the sediments and biota of Chichester Harbour

Ability of archerfish (Toxotes chatareus) to learn new feeding behaviours

Contribution of aquaria in the conservation of rare and endangered species

Management and control of Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)

Investigating triggers for diapause egg production in Parvocalanus crassirostris

I am keen to supervise projects that examine any aspect of anthropogenic impact on the physiology, morphology and behaviour of aquatic organisms. Be that chemical or physical pollutants or barriers to migration. I am especially interested in the fisheries management aspects of this and how best to consider mitigation. Projects I have supervised are varied and range from behavioural observations of captive fish species, to microplastic ingestion of the mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the velvet swimming crab (Necora puber). In addition I am interested in aspects of aquaculture and how best to improve the sustainability of feeds. I also have an interest in the welfare of cultured individuals and how to improve habitats whilst being reared.

Example projects that I supervise include the following:

Microplastic pollution within Chichester Harbour (MRes)

Selective breeding of marine copepods (MRes)

Trophic transfer of microplastics in marine invertebrates (MRes).

Does watercress farming impact fish communities (PhD)

The impacts of sewage treatment effluents on the river shrimp Gammarus pulex (PhD).

The effects of simvastatin on the development and behaviour of early life stages of Danio rerio (Undergraduate)

Microplastic ingestion of marine copepods (Undergraduate)

The presence of microplastic fibres in the stomach of the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) (Undergraduate)

The effects of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide on fish development and behaviour (Undergraduate).

The influence of aquarium visitors on captive elasmobranchs (Undergraduate).

Sexual dimorphism of the integument of sharks (Undergraduate).