Research PG
- About
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- School/Department
- School of Biological Sciences
- Research
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Research Overview
My PhD is centred around incorporating ecological modelling into 3D simulations of marine growth on artificial structures, with a view to produce realistic models which will inform policy around the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas structures.
From previous experience at St Andrews university, I have also gained an appreciation for how marine policy is structured to inform our use of the marine environment, as well as the current gaps in knowledge that may prevent this policy from comprehensively protecting marine life.
Research Specialisms
- Marine Biology
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
My PhD is centred around incorporating ecological modelling into 3D simulations of marine growth on artificial structures, with a view to produce realistic models which will inform policy around the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas structures.
Multiple climatic conditions will be used (temperate, sub-tropical, tropical) to build an understanding of how these structures impact the diversity of marine growth on a global scale - and how this diversity will be effected by current decommissioning requirements.
Past Research
With the need to invest in renewable projects heightened by the current climate crisis, along with global initiatives such as the UN goals and Net Zero 2050 (2045 Scotland), it is more important than ever to also understand how these structures impact the marine environment.
Whilst completing a postgraduate degree at St Andrews University, I sought to understand how the presence of wind farms impacted fish populations in the North Sea. Through the use of taxonomic and functional metrics (e.g. species richness, functional richness), I built up a picture of how fish community composition had been effected by the construction of a wind farm.