Meet the team

Joanna Barker

Project SIARC Senior Project Manager

All workpackages

Jo leads project management and is involved in all workpackages. She has particular focus on strategic design, interpretation of results and ensures outputs are used to inform conservation and are fedback to the community

Ben Wray

Project SIARC NRW Project Manager

All workpackages

Ben provides co-management support to the Project Lead, providing input and specialist advice to project design and work package activities from an ecological, policy, legislative and licensing perspective. Ben draws on significant experience managing Wales-based conservation projects and advising on marine activities and developments specifically related to mitigating impacts on marine ecology receptors and protected habitat and species features.

Jake Davies

Project SIARC Technical Specialist

All workpackages

Jake supports the management of the project and is involved in all workpackages. His focus is on fisher engagement, BRUVs and eDNA surveys.

Sarah Davies

Project SIARC Coordinator

All workpackages

Sarah is involved in multiple workpackages, with a focus on fisher engagement, eDNA surveys, school engagement and communications.

Hannah Lee

Project SIARC Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Community Officer

All workpackages

Hannah is involved across all workpackages and supports project learning related to implementing fairer conservation practices and work with local communities to co-develop activities to address barriers hindering peoples participation in marine conservation in Wales.

Charlotte Pike

Project SIARC Project Manager

Dissection events; research group; BRUVS; data analysis; project management

Charlotte supports the delivery of multiple workpackages, with a focus on organisation of the dissection events and developing the research group.

Surshti Patel

Project SIARC Senior Technical Specialist

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; fisher engagement

Surshti provides oversight and technical input to the delivery of our equity, diversity and inclusion work, work with communities and fisher engagement. She has a particular interest in ensuring inclusive and ethical conservation science and practise.

Nia Haf Jones

Living Seas Manager

Equity, diversity and inclusion; citizen science; project management

Nia supports the delivery of the Great Eggcase Hunt and focusses on understanding barriers to participation in order to achieve greater equity, diversity and inclusion in Welsh marine conservation.

Reece Halstead

Living Seas Engagement Officer

Equity, diversity and inclusion; citizen science

Reece coordinates and delivers Great Eggcase Hunt events, volunteer training and supports the focus on understanding barriers to participation in order to achieve greater equity, diversity and inclusion in Welsh marine conservation.

Dawn Thomas

Living Seas Officer

Equity, diversity and inclusion; citizen science

Dawn coordinates and delivers Great Eggcase Hunt events, volunteer training and supports the delivery of archival research

Kate Moses

Instant Wild Project Manager

Citizen science

Kate manages Instant Wild and will focus on increasing our understanding of who uses the platform and how we can reach people who are not currently engaged.

David Curnick

Project SIARC Postdoctoral Researcher

eDNA; data analysis; research group; project management

David provides technical support and oversees the eDNA surveys and data analysis work packages.

Nick Dunn

Project SIARC Postdoctoral Supervisor

eDNA; data analysis; research group; project management

Nick leads on the eDNA survey design, implementation and analysis.

Sophie Ward

Research Fellow in Physical Oceanography

eDNA; data analysis; research group

Sophie is a research scientist and ocean modeller who is mapping elasmobranch sightings and known movements with datasets which characterise the physical coastal environment.

Pete Robins

Senior Lecturer in Physical Oceanography

eDNA; data analysis; research group

Pete is an ocean modeller who will help Sophie with the hydrodynamic modelling designed for interpretation of the eDNA survey results.

Dimitris Pletsas

Project SIARC education outreach officer

School engagement

Dimitris provides technical support with the installation of 3D printers to the SIARC Champion schools, including CAD design and 3D printing induction

Cat Gordon

Senior Conservation Officer

Citizen Science

Cat has developed resources to be used for fisher engagement and citizen science activities within schools and the community, and supports delivery of Great Eggcase Hunts in Wales.

Harriet Allen

Citizen Science Data Officer

Citizen Science

Harriet helps to run the Great Eggcase Hunt, supporting the delivery and development of the project in Wales.

Jason Meeuwig

Co-Founder, Blue Abacus

BRUVS surveys

Jason designed the Blue Abacus Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS) used in the field work and supports the team with BRUVS deployments in the field.

Jessica Meeuwig

Co-Founder, Blue Abacus.
Wen Family Chair in Conservation, University of Western Australia.

BRUVS surveys & Citizen science

Jessica supports the BRUVS field team in survey design and image analysis as well as contributing to citizen science via the Instant Wild portal.

Get involved

There are a range of ways that you can get involved with Project SIARC from actively participating in events to aiding in historical research and inspiring future generations to engage with the marine environment.

SIARC

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