Research Aquarium

My role is to manage the research and lab facilities in our ecology department including general lab support, training and inductions of ecology staff, and lab health & safety.  I run our research aquarium where I am responsible for animal welfare & husbandry and assist with the design and maintenance of experiments as well as ensuring the day-to-day functioning of our equipment and systems alongside our engineer and aquarist team. I have particular expertise with cuttlefish husbandry and breeding as well as having an interest in photography and filming. 

I am a research technician working mainly with the Coastal Ecology research groups. I work mainly on Nova Mieszkowska’s team, helping with both fieldwork surveys and the processing and identification of marine organisms. I also work as part of the aquarist team to help maintain the condition of the Research Aquarium and ensure good health of the resident marine organisms.

I have previously been on a placement year (2018-2019) during my undergraduate degree (Marine Biology and Oceanography) within the MBA working within the Outreach Team. I was subsequently employed briefly by the MBA (2019) to help promote the opening of the National Marine Park.

I now have an MRes in Applied Marine Science, which focused on the effects of Magallana gigas (Pacific Oysters) on macrobenthic biodiversity within estuaries of the Southwest, UK. I feel extremely lucky to work at the MBA and I wish to further build upon my coastal ecology and taxonomic knowledge. I am intrigued to see how the Pacific Oyster story unfolds within the UK and in the future would potentially pursue further research into the species.

I love going gym, swimming, snorkelling, climbing and hiking so Plymouth has been kind of perfect for me the past few years. I look forward to the new opportunities and surprises that await me within this new job role.