Summary

I am a Research Fellow working in the field of tropical marine biology and ecosystem services. I am also an HSE (Health and Safety Executive)-approved scuba diver and underwater photographer.

My expertise centres on marine coastal environments, where I study the ecological condition of habitats to develop and support management strategies for their protection and conservation. 

I have worked internationally as a researcher on projects and expeditions. I enjoy taking a multidisciplinary approach, which gives me the overview required to manage projects effectively.

In 2018, I jointly coordinated an economic valuation of ecosystem services in the National Park of Banc d'Arguin on the coast of Mauritania in Western Africa, and I recently reviewed the 2020 IUCN World Heritage Outlook assessment for Banc d’Arguin World Heritage Site.

I have been engaged from the outset with the Horizon 2020-funded research project MaCoBioS (Marine Coastal Ecosystems Biodiversity and Services in a Changing World). This project involves 16 international partners and investigates the effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems services, with case studies in the Lesser Antilles, the North-Western Mediterranean Sea, and Northern Europe to cover the most important marine habitats. It began on the ground in June 2020.

I enjoy the technical challenge of such projects as well as working with stakeholders and decision-makers to achieve positive outcomes from the research.

Biography

I studied for my Bachelor’s degree in marine biology and ecology in 2008 at the University of La Rochelle in France. I followed this with Master’s degrees from the Universities of Southampton and Paris in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

I joined the University of Portsmouth in 2014 as a Research Associate, progressing to Research Fellow in 2018. Before this I worked as a Research Associate in the French West Indies, where I was based in the non-profit Marine Institute of Martinique (Observatoire du Milieu Marin Martiniquais). I've also worked as a volunteer in Mayotte (Indian Ocean) on sea-turtle ecology and on the Saba Bank Expedition (Dutch Antilles).

Research interests

My research focuses on the contribution of Nature to people, examining:

• Coastal marine ecosystems
• Ecological condition and vulnerability to multiple pressures
• Species traits and functional ecology
• Nature-based solutions to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change

The ecological condition of an ecosystem is essential to quantify the level of production of ecosystems. With long term monitoring and modeling, it also helps in predicting the provisioning of services if the environment is degrading or restoration measures are implemented. My research aims to clarify the link between the ecological condition and the provisioning of ecosystem services.

I am considering a Ph.D. by publication based upon the research I have undertaken and had published.