Members

Dr Matt Frost is Head of the International Office at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Matt specializes in working at the science-policy interface and has a wide range of experience from leading evidence provision and outreach projects to parliamentary and government engagement. Matt works extensively on international matters specialising in networking and science diplomacy. He chairs numerous national and international committees related to marine policy and coordination including the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (including the overseas Group) and the World Association of Marine Stations. Originally trained as a Marine Biologist, Matt is also a trained commercial diver and has published over 160 journal papers, book chapters, reports, and articles.

Dr Bach is passionate about advancing our understanding of marine systems, specifically the links between marine biodiversity, ecosystem process and function in the context of human driven change. To achieve this, she uses statistical techniques to approach both hypotheses, exploratory studies field observations and experiments. She is currently working at Glascow, modelling how disturbances impact biodiversity and stability of communities to give her a mechanistic understanding of how marine ecosystems will be impacted in the future. Prior to her current role Lydia pursued her PhD at Queen’s University, Belfast as part of the Coastal Biodiversity Ecosystem Service and Sustainability Consortium (CBESS), the largest coastal margin campaign in the UK (United Kingdom).

Aline is an Anglo-Brazilian Marine Biologist doing a PhD in the Geography Department at King’s College London jointly with the ZSL Institute of Zoology. She is the creator of Seabird Soundscapes, a citizen science project that engages people with the marine soundscapes of seabirds, helping to reveal important aspects of their foraging behaviour and potential threats to their existence. She is co-founder of AQUASIS, a conservation NGO dedicated to the protection of endangered species and habitats in Northeast Brazil, and co-creators of “Será que chove?”, a UK-Brazil research project to help coastal communities adapt to the effects of climate change

Dr Antony Firth, MCIfA, is a marine archaeologist who started his career as a volunteer diver investigating shipwrecks and submerged prehistoric landscapes beneath the Solent. He has worked on many different aspects of marine heritage in the UK and abroad in universities, charities and the private sector. Antony was a founder and co-chair, until October 2021, of the Ocean Decade Heritage Network (ODHN) working with the heritage sector globally to highlight the value of marine heritage in achieving the objectives of the UN Ocean Decade. In November 2021, he was appointed Head of Marine Heritage Strategy at Historic England.

Donal Griffin is a marine ecologist and policy officer from Northern Ireland. After completing his master’s degree research into the diving behaviour of basking sharks, he continued to volunteer his time with local conservation groups to help protect these wonderful animals. Following a few years working as an environmental consultant all around the world, Donal started back at University to complete his PhD on fish-jellyfish interactions and how that may impact on the fishing industry. Now, Donal leads the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force, a coalition of non-governmental organisations working together towards, healthy, productive and resilient seas for Northern Ireland.

Dr Emma McKinley is a Research Fellow at Cardiff University. Her research focuses on understanding the complex relationship between society and the sea, taking account of diverse types of perceptions, attitudes and values held by different communities and audiences, and considers how this insight can be used to support effective ocean governance.  In September 2018, Emma founded the Marine Social Science Network, a global, interdisciplinary community of researchers and practitioners working across marine social sciences, which she chairs. Emma is the current Chair of the Royal Geographic Society’s Coastal and Marine Research Group and is Co-Chair of the Marine Social Science Task Group of the UK’s Marine Science Coordinating Committee.

Dr Francesca Ginley is currently the Policy and Advocacy Manager for Chemicals at the Marine Conservation Society. Her academic background is purely chemistry however, she also has a lifelong passion for the marine environment and cares deeply about the fragile state of the ocean and the impact modern living is having. She is delighted to be able to combine her two passions, especially since chemical pollution has been dubbed one of the key drivers of the current biodiversity crisis. Dr Ginley’s goal is to increase awareness around chemical pollution, its effects on the marine environment and to advocate for an ultimate reduction in the impact on the environment.

Professor Dr Gina Yannitell Reinhardt is a member of the Department of Government at the University of Essex. She has 15 years’ experience of teaching and conducting policy and impact analyses on climate change resilience, social health and loneliness, and survey and interview methods. Professor Reinhardt is reputed for her work on difficult-to-measure concepts such as political and interpersonal trust, cultural value systems, wellbeing, happiness and adaptation to climate threats. She partners with local, national, and international authorities to advise evidence-based policy decision making, and has advised the UK Government on its 21st Century Resilience Integrated Review,

Dr Hayley Roberts is Senior Lecturer in Public International Law at Bangor University, specialising in the international law of the sea. Her main research interests are in the areas of the protection of underwater cultural heritage and issues relating to climate change and the oceans/cultural heritage. She is director of the LLM programme in International Law and teaches modules on ‘International Law of the Sea’ and ‘Sustainable Seas’. Hayley is also Commissioner (Vice-Chair) to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales based on expertise in maritime heritage.

Dr Michelle Frost is an early career researcher at Edinburgh Napier University where she is coordinating the ‘West of Scotland Herring Hunt’ (WOSHH) project that aims to detect large herring shoals during their spawning season in Scottish inshore waters, as well as identifying herring spawning habitat on the west coast, by working alongside coastal communities, NGOs, industry and government using techniques such as environmental (e)DNA, acoustic monitoring and citizen science tools. Michelle also works on projects to assess photosynthetic activity of submerged marine primary producers and to create tools for communication of complex climate science. Prior to this, she completed her MRes and PhD at the University of Aberdeen researching the thermal niche and population connectivity of two critically endangered skate species and worked as a Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier with a team of UK and Indonesian universities to evaluate the success of community-based mangrove restoration projects.

Natalie is an ocean advocate and MSc sustainability graduate, with her first research project “Ocean Literacy and Surfing: Understanding How Interactions in Coastal Ecosystems Inform Blue Space User’s Awareness of the Ocean” being published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2021. She coordinates Citizens of Surf, an official Decade of Ocean Science Activity. Their primary partnership project will involve surfers reforesting Kelp habitats off the coast of Portugal, during the World Surf League championship contest in March 2022. She is passionate about ocean literacy and citizen science, as well as the health benefits of the Ocean.  She is co-director of social enterprise “Groundswell England” which facilitates surf therapy programmes which specialise in trauma recovery.

After degrees at the University of Plymouth and University of York, She began her PhD at the University of Aberdeen in October 2019. Her undergraduate and postgraduate training was in Ocean Science and Marine Environmental Management, and her research focuses on connecting marine science to policy and people. In previous projects she investigated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). How effective they are, what makes them successful, their impact on society and vice versa. She is currently working on a Natural Environment Research Council ‘Making environmental science equal, diverse and inclusive’ funding call, evaluating inclusivity in marine science

Dr Richard Hixson FRCA FFICM is a Consultant in Critical Care Medicine, Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter; NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur; Waste and Pollution Lead for the Intensive Care Society Sustainability Working Group; member of NHS England’s Sustainable Procurement Forum, the UK Ocean Decade Committee and the Minderoo–Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Richard co-founded Healthcare Ocean as his main interest is Global Goal 14, Life Below Water and how anthropogenic activities including container shipping; plastic and molecular pollution adversely affected the marine environment and human health. Richard works to ensure oceans, coasts and inland waterways are included in healthcare sustainability planning to maximise our ability to tackle the climate and nature crisis successfully.

Dr Sien van der Plank is an early career researcher currently based at the University of Southampton. Her research interests are in the response of coastal communities to environmental changes in their locality. Sien has designed and delivered public engagement projects across a range of subject areas to diverse audiences, including school groups and early career professionals in the UK and internationally. As a National Decade Committee member, she hopes to support the involvement of inland communities in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development; although removed from the ocean and the coast, their lives are intertwined with the sustainability of the oceans too.

Victoria is a Geospatial Information Specialist. Within this role she analyses marine geospatial data to support safe, secure, and thriving oceans. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology and Zoology with International Experience, and a master’s degree in Marine Environmental Protection. Victoria is passionate about increasing marine data accessibility and mapping the world’s oceans.

Lowri Mai Griffiths is the Head of the Ocean Policy Unit at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The work of the Ocean Policy Unit covers all aspects of the implementation and interpretation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as other marine and maritime issues. Lowri is currently the Head of the UK delegation to the BBNJ Intergovernmental Conference. She is also a member of the UK delegation to the International Seabed Authority.

Prior to joining the Ocean Policy Unit, Lowri was a lawyer in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Legal Directorate, advising on issues relating to the UK’s Overseas Territories, including maritime boundary negotiations and marine management issues.

Dr Caroline Culshaw is the lead ocean science advisor in the International Marine Environment division of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The International Marine division uses UK leadership opportunities to promote international marine priorities that secure ambitious global frameworks and partnerships across climate, biodiversity and pollution.  Caroline leads on international science engagement around ocean climate and ocean observations, science diplomacy across multilateral fora including the G7, G20, and UN, and the UN Ocean Decade. Prior to joining Defra, Caroline was the Head of Research for Environment and Health at the Natural Environment Research Council and has a research background in marine pollution.

Colin Armstrong is acting Director of Marine and Fisheries Division, since 1 June 2022.  Marine and Fisheries Division is responsible for managing the sustainable use of the marine environment and the promotion, protection, enhancement and sustainable use of all fish stocks, inland and at sea (including aquaculture and fish health).  Colin’s substantive role is Head of Marine Conservation and he leads on marine biodiversity policy, development of the Northern Ireland marine protected area network, and the implementation of effective management and monitoring.

Dr Barbara (Bee) Berx is an observational physical oceanographer and climate scientist in the Marine Scotland directorate of Scottish Government.  As a physical oceanographer, her research focuses on disentangling the signals due to climate change from natural variability in the ocean circulation, temperature and salinity of Scottish waters and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean, with a particular emphasis on sustained ocean observations.  In her role as Marine Scotland Science Climate Change Lead, she has been working on a range of projects relating to climate change impacts, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change in the marine environment.

Alan Evans is Head of Marine Policy at the National Oceanography Centre, UK. His research background is in geoscience, starting his career exploring mid-ocean ridges then using those technical skills to delineate continental shelf areas beyond 200 nautical miles. This foray into the application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has evolved into Alan’s involvement in a number of science-into-policy forum at the UN and in other organisations and initiatives. As the Alternate Head of the UK Delegation at the IOC-UNESCO (IOC) Alan was instrumental in ensuring UK contributions to the development of the Implementation Plan of the UN Ocean Decade and he continues to act as a UK focal point for the IOC providing a conduit between the IOC and the UK Government and the UK marine science community.

Dr John Siddorn is Chief Executive of the National Oceanography Centre. John was previously the NOC Chief Scientist, responsible for leading the research direction across all elements of NOCs portfolio and is an Honorary Fellow at the Met Office and a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute. 

Since joining NOC in 2020, John has championed the embedding of digital approaches to furthering science, including digital innovations and has been key to thought leadership in his field and in shaping the research landscape.  

Prior to joining NOC, John was at the Met Office where he was Head of Ocean Forecasting R&D. His personal research was on developing ocean models for climate and hazard prediction and understanding.   

Prior to his career at the Met Office, John worked at Plymouth Marine Laboratory as a mathematical modeller in the biogeochemistry modelling team with the primary responsibility for implementing marine dynamical models.