Where can I help?
Understanding marine evidence
Are you designing a monitoring strategy, wading through data and evidence products, determining impacts or battling with overlapping frameworks of biodiversity targets? I've worked extensively to understand and evolve the UK's approach to monitoring in the marine environment, designing MPA monitoring programmes, indicators of impacts, testing novel data collection methods in the field and understanding system-wide evidence requirements and assessment obligations to support evidence-based policy and decisions.
Strengthening research impact
Are you doing incredible coastal or marine science but struggling to figure out where to put it to make the biggest impact in the real world? I've organised and facilitated technical, programme-scale workshops to coordinate across academic research projects and directly linked researchers to policy and decision makers. We need to ensure that applied science is feeding straight into the sustainable development of fast-paced marine industries like offshore wind and carbon-capture and storage.
Exploring natural capital approaches
Are you wondering whether natural capital is a useful concept in the context of your coastal or marine management situation? I was the marine science lead for the Defra flagship marine natural capital and ecosystem assessment programme and have explored how to apply natural capital evidence in the context of the UK Marine Strategy indicators, impacts of power station cooling structures on inshore fish, marine planning processes and evolving Marine Net Gain policy.
Turning evidence into action
Are you trying to interpret data, evidence products, ecosystem models or indicators and figure out what needs to happen next? I'm an interdisciplinary team-worker who is used to working with diverse groups of economists, social scientists, natural scientists and decision makers to explore complex topics in environmental management and turn data, evidence and knowledge into concrete steps forward, bridging the gap between science and meaningful action.
Where have I worked?
Principal Consultant
Howell Marine Consulting
Technical science lead and project manager for projects including application of natural capital and cumulative effects assessment frameworks to managing impacts on inshore fish species; UK marine and fisheries monitoring reform; restoration and recovery of mobile marine species; and economic valuation of Good Environmental Status (GES) in marine waters. Part of the Research Champions impact team for the NERC funded ECOWind Programme and industry funded INSITE Programme.
Science Lead, Marine Natural Capital & Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) Programme
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)
Marine science lead for the high-profile cross-government R&D programme to monitor, value and recover the marine environment and natural assets of England’s seas. Coordinating and leading a cross-organisational, interdisciplinary team of natural and social scientists, economists and stakeholders to develop and deliver a portfolio of work on marine natural capital and ecosystem monitoring. Technical lead for marine monitoring, innovative data collection methods, modelling and interactions between land, coast and sea.
Interim Head of Monitoring & Evidence
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
Co-lead of a large team of technical specialists delivering high-quality data and marine evidence to support UK policy development, decision making and operational management, including marine biodiversity monitoring, seabed classification and mapping and human activities, pressures and impacts data. Directing strategic approaches to monitoring of UK seabed habitats, participating in offshore survey operations and developing standards for data collection, analysis and interpretation.