TITLE: Senior Lecturer, Benthic Ecologist
ACADEMIC INSTITUTION: University of Waikato

 

What is your role in Extreme 2008?
I have been invited by Craig Cary to assist his research team on this voyage, so I will be working in the laboratory processing samples as they come on board and helping out in any way I can.  While I have been to sea many times, this is my first voyage involving a submersible, and hydrothermal vents -- a combination I am really excited about.

What questions will you be trying to answer? I am a benthic ecologist. My science interests focus on the processes that affect the structure and function of the most common habitat on Earth – the soft sediments that lie beneath the oceans.

Benthic sediment: that’s basically mud, right? Why is this research important? Our research is being conducted in a wide range of environments ranging from the inter-tidal zone to the deep sea, a reflection of the extensive occurrence of soft-sediment habitats.

What is your work back on the “beach”?   In New Zealand I am involved with research programmes investigating deep-sea biodiversity and how food supply to the deep-sea influences benthic community structure.  I currently have a very active research lab where, together with students, we are studying relationships between benthic biodiversity and ecosystem function.  Our other big area of research is related to how dispersal barriers influence the recruitment and genetic structure of benthic populations.

What's your background, and what lured you into marine science/education?
My career in marine science started on my 12th birthday when my parents bought me a mask and snorkel.  At the time, Jacques Cousteau was on TV showing us the amazing diversity of life that exists in the oceans. These images inspired me (and probably a whole generation of people) to explore what lives in the sea and I spent hours diving in the coastal waters around our home in Tauranga. 

By the time I left high school, I knew I wanted a career in marine science – I could not think of anything better than getting paid to do something I do for recreation.  After completing an undergraduate degree in zoology, I did a master of science in marine science both at the University of Otago in New Zealand.  I then completed a Ph.D. in biological oceanography at Dalhousie University in Canada before returning to New Zealand to take up a position at Waikato University. 

I really enjoy the opportunity to teach and hopefully inspire a new generation of marine scientists. The job (if I can call it that) is continually challenging and evolving and gives me opportunities to explore places very few people see.