General – Research – Teaching – Publications – CV
I’ve always had a broad range of interests, and so after focusing on modern languages (French and Spanish) and English literature for my last two years at high/secondary school (A-levels at UK school), I went on to study marine and environmental biology at St Andrews University in Scotland. This was great, but I longed for a more immersive experience that was not easy (or comfortable) in the low visibility, cold environment of the east coast of Scotland.
So, after time volunteering in the field on coral reefs in Belize and the Philippines, obsessed with corals, I went on to study for a masters of applied science in tropical marine ecology and fisheries biology at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. In addition to the formal education which was excellent, at JCU there were so many opportunities to learn from other students who needed field or lab assistance for their masters and PhD projects. I volunteered as often as I could, and along the way my focus evolved from corals to fishes.
I stayed at JCU for a PhD focusing on the structure and dynamics of spawning aggregations of reef fishes. After the first year, I was primarily based at the Mahonia na Dari Research and Conservation Centre in Kimbe Bay, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, as their researcher in residence. Essentially, this gave me unlimited field time on some of the highest biodiversity reefs in the world. I spent up to 9 hours a day snorkeling around reefs trying to find fish spawning. Beyond data collection, living in Kimbe Bay was a fascinating experience. The richness of the history, culture, diversity of people, and natural landscapes was awesome. I was also able to witness the impacts (both positive and negative) of creeping modernisation and agribusiness on people and their environment.
When I finished my PhD, I got a job as a resident lecturer at the School for Field Studies‘ Centre for Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We hosted groups of predominantly US undergraduate students and delivered courses in tropical marine ecology, marine parks management, and directed research. The program was based around the local natural, social, and legislative environments. At the time, the courses were accredited by Boston University, and I had a BU lectureship.
The centre is on the small island of South Caicos whose residents are supported primarily by fishing, with most fishers freediving to catch spiny lobster, queen conch, and reef fishes. Coral reefs, seagrass, and mangroves are on the centre’s doorstep and these formed a wonderful natural classroom. I developed a passion for teaching and a strong appreciation for experiential learning.
I stayed on and became director of the centre. During a sabbatical, I took an intensive course on R at the University of Iceland and then took up a summer library readership at the Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
My time in South Caicos really changed my perspective on conservation and natural resource management. After living within a struggling fishing community, I left with a more nuanced view and convinced that people are central to any solutions.
In 2011, I moved to Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean as a lecturer in tropical marine conservation biology at the CIEE Research Station Bonaire. I was immersed in a new socio-ecological system with very different threats and management. Effectively, the whole of Bonaire’s shallow marine environment is a protected area and the economy depends on SCUBA diving tourism. The few fishers that can be found target pelagic or deep water fishes rather than reef species.
After a year in Bonaire, I was invited to design, open, and run a new undergraduate program for the School for Field Studies in Bocas del Toro, on the Caribbean coast of Panama. Initially, we were hosted at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, but then established an independent centre nestled between two Indigenous Ngöbe villages on the small island of Solarte. Living in Bocas del Toro is a unique experience. Subsistence Indigenous farming, forestry, and fishing are found alongside ecotourism and multinational agribusiness ventures. Rainforest and reefs provide outstanding natural beauty despite a legacy of both historical and contemporary impacts.
In 2014, I spent time as a visiting researcher at the Crowder Lab, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University. Later in the year, I returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands to lead a project on the regionally endangered Nassau grouper. We spent most of our time with fishers, analysing their catch, discussing the issues their industry faces and the changes they have witnessed in their lifetimes, and locating spawning aggregations from local ecological knowledge and in-water surveys.
In 2015, I became Director of the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. The department is charged with sustainable management of the country’s natural resources. I oversaw an enforcement agency, and separate divisions focusing on science, education and outreach, management of the country’s fisheries and protected areas, and development of policy.
In 2018, I moved to Norway working as the Executive Officer for the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research project (IMBeR) based at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen. IMBeR is a fascintating project which “advances understanding about potential marine environmental effects of global change, and the impacts and linkages to human systems at multiple scales” (see science plan). The work is strongly focused towards giving useful products for sound governance, hosting conferences and other meetings to advance science for sustainable oceans, and helping to build the next generation of ocean scientists, through summer schools, workshops, mentoring, and professional opportunities for networking, leadership and collaboration.
In 2020, the IMBeR International Project Office moved from Norway to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Our primary host organisation is the Ocean Frontier Institute, based at Dalhousie University, and the the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) is also a host.