Personal profile

Key Research Interests

My research focuses on the relationships between ocean ecosystem structure, instabillity, seasonality and their role in the global carbon cycle. I contribute to the development of the global ocean carbon model, PlankTOM, integrating observational and experimental data to introduce emergent properties that enhance our understanding of ecosystem changes in a warming ocean. Using this high-complexity ecosystem model, I explore how shifts in ecosystem seasonality and structure impact the biological carbon pump. Beyond this primary focus, my research has spanned diverse topics, from the role of ballasting minerals in carbon export to the protection of avian functional types in the Amazon.

Academic Background

I work at UEA as a Senior Research Associate in Ecosystem Stability, currently contributing to the CALIPSO (Carbon Loss in Plants, Soils, and Oceans) project. My research focuses on modelling ecosystem relationships and instability, assessing whether shifts or tipping points away from the current ocean ecosystem structure will drive changes in the biological carbon pump.

My PhD, Plankton Seasonal Dynamics and Carbon Export in a Warming Ocean, examined how phytoplankton phenology influences carbon export using the PlankTOM12.2 model and observational data. Model improvements, including updated bacterial biofilm and calcite dissolution parameterisations, enhanced its ability to simulate oceanic carbon fluxes, revealing regional trends in phytoplankton seasonality and the complex interplay between ecosystem shifts, export efficiency, and primary production under climate change.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 14 - Life Below Water

Education/Academic qualification

Doctor of Philosophy, Plankton Seasonal Dynamics and Carbon Export in a Warming Ocean, University of East Anglia

1 Jan 202031 Dec 2023

Award Date: 18 Sept 2024

Master in Science, Applied Ecology and Conservation (MSc), University of East Anglia

Award Date: 6 Dec 2019

Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia

Award Date: 21 Jul 2017

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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