School of Biological Sciences

         

Seaweeds are the foundations on which coastal ecosystems are built.  This contribution to the UK's culture, landscape, and economy is increasingly appreciated in terms of the 'ecosystem services' that seaweeds can provide.  

In addition, seaweeds can also be used as a source of various chemical feedstocks and novel biomolecules.

My group works on three projects that look, inter alia, at the ecological and economic benefits of seaweeds:

1. CBESS - 'A hierarchical approach to the examination of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem service flows across coastal margins'

As part of NERC's BESS programme, I'm working with Prof. Mark Emmerson and Dr Nessa O'Connor to look at how coastal biodiversity affects coastal ecosystem health.

 

2. Energetic Algae - Sustainable technologies for algal biomass production 

Dr Gretchen Brownstein, Emma Gorman, and Dr Sophia Ahmed are employed on this project, based at the Queen's University Marine Laboratory in Portaferry, Northern Ireland.

 

3. DiaDOM - Marine inspired biosilica-filled hydrogels