My main interests are in early life ecology and recruitment dynamics of marine organisms. I have a varied background completing a PhD in lipid biochemistry at Stirling University and post-doctoral work on nutritional biochemistry of tropical prawns. After that I moved to CEFAS Lowestoft (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) and developed research into the recruitment ecology of commercial fishes such as herring, plaice and cod. As part of this I undertook extensive field surveys in most waters around the UK in order to map the distribution of fish eggs and larvae and investigate their transport, growth and mortality. Field-programs have been complemented with desk based studies into major fisheries issues such as the likely impact of climate change on commercial fish stocks.
I joined SAMS in 2007 to work on shelf seas research in waters to the west of Scotland and to develop complementary experimental and modelling studies. Current projects include studies on the growth of juvenile flatfish on west coast beaches, on predation of egg and juvenile stages of flatfish and on jellyfish interactions with aquaculture. I have also become increasingly involved with the development of marine policy and am currently a member of the European Union Joint Research Council Expert Group on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management.