The Global 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. Clare's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About Clare
I am an associate professor in marine ecology, and programme leader for the BSc Marine Biology and Oceanography.
I teach a range of courses from statistics to biological oceanography and marine vertebrate ecology. My research is focused on the ecology and conservation of marine vertebrates (marine mammals, seabirds and fish), habitat modelling, bioacoustics, and human impacts on marine species (e.g. impacts of increasing noise in the sea).
Lead the Marine Vertebrates Research Unit and member of the Marine Conservation Research Group.
Teaching
I am programme leader for the BSc Marine Biology and Oceanography, and I am module leader for:
- MBIO120 Introduction to Marine Biology (1st year)
- MBIO339 Ecology & Conservation of Marine Vertebrates (3rd year)
I also teach on the following modules:
- MBIO123 Marine Biology Field Course (1st Year)
- MBIO225 Methods in Marine Biology and Oceanography (2nd year)
- MBIO227 Biological Oceanography Field Course (2nd year)
- OS201 Global Ocean Processes (2nd year)
- MBIO341 Biological Oceanography (3rd year)
- OS304 Marine Ecosystems Conservation (3rd year)
I also supervise around 8 undergraduate student projects, and 2 masters student projects a year.
Current MRes/MSc students:
- Annabel Risdale (lead Natural England): 'Understanding Dorset's marine soundscape'
- Koan Hughes (lead Manta Trust): 'Temporal changes in zooplankton community structure in a manta ray hotspot'
Past MRes/MSc students:
- Harrison Smith (2022: Quantification of key areas for cetacean sensitivity to floating offshore wind farms in the Celtic Sea)
- Kathryn Thibault (2022: Intra-annual variations of reef manta ray visitation patterns to a remote cleaning station)
- Jennifer Devaney (2022: Change in plankton abundance in relation to tidal influences on Sandes seamount in the Chagos Archipelago)
- Genevieve Alexander (2022: Feeding ecology and habitat use of the reef manta ray in the Chagos MPA revealed using stable isotope analysis)
- Darcy Brady (2022; Tidal oceanographic influences on reef manta behaviour at a feeding station)
- Megan Strachan-Williams (2021; Cetacean vocalisation diversity in the Chagos Archipelago)
- Emma Moyse (2021; Harbour porpoise habitat models in SW UK based on historic datasets)
- Emily Wood (2021; Spatial threat analysis of cetaceans in the English Channel)
- Hannah Thompson (2020; Modelling habitat preferences of common dolphins off the west of Scotland)
- Maisie Fawcett (2020; Odontocete vocalisation occurence and behaviour at Egmont Atoll, Chagos Archipelago)
- Hayley McLennon (2020; Using visual & acoustic survey data to determine abundance, distribution & environmental drivers of harbour porpoises in South Cornwall)
- Sam Matthews (2020; Temporal variations in tourism activities at a key MPA in the Maldives 2010-2019)
- Matthew Clements (2020; Marine soundscape of the Southern Orkney Islands, Antarctica)
- Joanna Harris (2019; Habitat use of reef manta rays, Mobula afredi, in the Chagos Archipelago MPA)
- Katie Walsh (2019; Localisation and abundance of sperm whales from passive acoustics)
- Veronica Steinheimer (2019; Can baleen whales keep up with plankton regime shifts?)
- William Tingle (2019; Modelling the effect of ship strikes on fin whale distribution in the Bay of Biscay)
- Shannon Booth (2018; Habitat models of long-finned pilot whales in the Northeast Atlantic)
- Kimberley Nielsen (2018; Relative abundance of harbour porpoises around the UK from platforms of opportunity)
- Caitlin Allen (2018; Oceanographic drivers of sperm whale distributions in the Northeast Atlantic)
- Karley Khan (2017; Habitat modelling of sperm whales in the Northeast Atlantic)
- Laura Bryans (2017; Predicting foraging aggregations of European storm petrels using habitat models)
- Rosalyn Jones (2017; Impacts of seismic airguns on sperm whale vocalisations)
- James Williams (2016; Habitat modelling of green turtles from telemetry data)
- Gemma Starmore (2016; Using passive acoustics to understand human impacts on cetaceans)
- Joshua Griffiths (2015; Habitat modelling of bottlenose dolphins for defining MPAs)
- Jessica Rayner (2015; Risk modelling of minke whale entanglement in creel fishing gear)
