Dave Conway

Dr Dave Conway, PhD, Mem.MBA

Associate Fellow

Dr Dave Conway, PhD, Mem.MBA

Associate Fellow

Dave Conway

dvpc@mba.ac.uk

Keywords: Plankton

On leaving school in 1963 I worked as a technician in the plankton section of the marine fisheries laboratory in Aberdeen, completing an honours degree at Aberdeen University betwen 1972 and 1973, before moving to The Plymouth Marine Laboratory in 1977. In 1999 I transferred across to the MBA and was awarded a PhD in 2000 by Plymouth University.

My career has been research on a wide range of plankton groups, studying distribution, vertical migration, feeding, digestion, biochemistry etc., much of it in relation to modelling fish survival. I have also produced identification guides for European and Indian Ocean zooplankton.

I am now retired, but do contract plankton analysisis for the MBA and also involve myself in plankton training and education projects at all levels. I am currently doing a lot of plankton photography, in preparaton for a photographic identification guide book of European zooplankton.

Jasmine Heber-Percy, young woman in white lab coat and blonde tied-back hair with a fridge, sitting next to a microscope on a lab bench.

Jasmine Heber Percy

Plankton Analyst

Jasmine Heber Percy

Plankton Analyst

Jasmine Heber-Percy, young woman in white lab coat and blonde tied-back hair with a fridge, sitting next to a microscope on a lab bench.

jasheb@mba.ac.uk

Keywords: Plankton

I am a Plankton Analyst at the MBA, where I support the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey through sample processing, species identification, and ecological data analysis. My background spans marine conservation, ecological fieldwork, and visual analysis, with foundations in observational detail and pattern recognition.

Before joining the MBA, I worked as a research diver in Oman, contributing to habitat surveys that helped protect vulnerable marine species. I’ve also volunteered with regenerative ocean farms and seaweed innovation networks, supporting sustainable aquaculture and marine restoration. My academic journey began in fine art, where I developed a meticulous eye for form, skills I now apply to plankton taxonomy under the microscope.

I am passionate about ocean health and excited to contribute to long-term monitoring efforts that inform marine policy and conservation. Outside of work, I’m a qualified Divemaster and enjoy being outdoors.

Keelan Lawlor smiling in laboratory

Dr Keelan Lawlor

PDRA (Molecular Phytoplankton Ecology)

Dr Keelan Lawlor

PDRA (Molecular Phytoplankton Ecology)

Keelan Lawlor smiling in laboratory

keelaw@mba.ac.uk

Keywords: Plankton

My research currently focuses on developing molecular tools to better understand and predict harmful algal blooms (HABs) as part of the ACTNOW project. I have previously worked investigating macroalgae-bacteria interactions and post-harvest degradation kinetics of macroalgal biomass. I am also interested in extraction kinetics of lipid biomolecules during scale-up, the development/modification of industrial extraction methods to accommodate new feedstocks and the application and development of low-cost hyperspectral image sensor systems and the novel applications of these technologies.I have previously worked on novel (food science) applications of marine microalgae derived biomolecules (specifically complex lipids), their characterisation and functionality based on their physical properties.