My research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underpinning biodiversity and the functioning of marine ecosystems. In particular, I am interested in how anthropogenic stressors, such as contamination and urbanisation, affect the marine environment with the ultimate goal of developing evidence-based solutions for not only mitigating their impacts, but also restoring and rehabilitating marine ecosystems.
I am one of the founders and co-leads of the Living Seawalls, a project that is bringing marine life to concrete coastlines around the world. The project is one of the inaugural finalists of the Earthshot prize, and has received several awards.
By taking a multidisciplinary, field-based approach and developing novel methodologies, my research has shifted paradigms regarding the true effects of contaminants on marine systems and has provided innovative solutions to the issue of rapid urbanisation and coastal development, significantly advancing knowledge and providing critical information for policy and management.