Chiara is a marine biologist with over 15 years’ experience of coastal and marine ecological survey and research including boat-based marine mammal, fisheries and passive acoustic survey, SCUBA and snorkel surveys of temperate coastal habitats (mainly seagrass) as well as tropical coral reef. Interests include seagrass ecology, benthic and fish ID, acoustic monitoring of cetaceans, BRUVs, marine conservation, monitoring and management in specific reference to the marine renewable energy sector. Chiara has recently finished a part-time PhD looking at environmental drivers of change in seagrass meadows alongside her full-time job at SEACAMS2 at Swansea University. More recently she has been working on habitat suitability modelling (HSM) in collaboration with Project Seagrass for Sky Ocean Rescue and WWF, Natural England and now as part of the SMMR ReSOW project using HSM for aiding decision making for seagrass restoration sites.

Lucy has been working on seagrass since 2015. She joined Project Seagrass in 2021 as a Project Support Officer for the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Seagrass Ecosystem Services Project, where she used her in-field experience to build the capacity of national partners across the Indo-Pacific to implement seagrass research and conservation, in order to provide local food security and support marine biodiversity. Alongside Project Seagrass, Lucy is conducting a PhD at Deakin University, in collaboration with Project Seagrass and Swansea University, which focuses on optimising and upscaling seagrass restoration efforts.

Corinne joined the team at Project Seagrass in April 2024.
Her education and training background is in Arts Management and she has previously worked in fundraising and communications roles at Wales based arts charities including Welsh National Opera.
Corinne began the process of moving into the environment sector following the pandemic when she returned to college to study Environmental Conservation Management at Bridgend College.

Ally is a marine ecologist with 15 years experience across different marine science sectors. Having worked for NGOs in the tropics and government bodies in the UK, she decided research was where she could have the most positive impact on the marine environment. She undertook a PhD at Aberystwyth University in 2016 and has worked as a postdoc at various institutions since. Her research has mostly focused on marine habitat enhancement and restoration. Previously leading the Seagrass Ocean Rescue North Wales restoration project at Swansea University, she now joins the ReSOW project working to understand how social and governance factors can be used to support seagrass restoration.

Emma started working for Project Seagrass as a volunteer, before joining as a Marine Biology Assistant in June 2021. In her role she has been conducting research into how seagrass health is affected by water quality and nutrients as well as taking part in fieldwork and outreach. Emma has a BSc degree in Biological Sciences and a MSc in Marine Systems and Policies from the University of Edinburgh.

Carly is a horticulturist and botanist who looks after the seeds and plants in the Project Seagrass nursery. Prior to this, she grew rare native plants at the National Botanic Garden of Wales and was involved in the establishment of the National Seed Bank of Wales. She is a passionate advocate for the importance of plants’ role in protecting nature, people and planet, and a promoter of British wild flowers and their conservation.

Coming soon

Amel (They/Them) started with Project Seagrass in November 2023 after first working with Seagrass in the Mediterranean with Blue Marine Foundation in 2022. In their role Amel supports the restoration of seagrass meadows in North Wales and assists the North Wales Wildlife Trust in engaging with the local community to share knowledge of the beautiful marine environment along the Welsh coast. They have a BSc from Portsmouth University in Marine Biology but their passion is working towards decolonizing the environmental sector; collaborating with grassroot organisations such as Black Girls Hike and The Raven Network. Originally from Essex with Guyanese ancestry they use their platform to advocate and champion historically underrepresented voices in conservation. They hope by being visible in this role it will encourage more people of colour in the UK to see there is a place for them in this field.

Conor joined Project Seagrass in July 2022 as our Fieldwork Logistics & Diving Coordinator, and is an Honorary Research Assistant at Swansea University. He holds a Master’s Degree in Biology from the University of Leeds, and previously worked at Mote Marine Laboratory over in the U.S.A., monitoring Florida Manatee populations. A fully qualified HSE SCUBA Diver and PADI instructor, Conor coordinates the Project’s SCUBA diving operations, manages field equipment, and organises logistics for our fieldwork across the UK.

Andrew joined the Project Seagrass team in 2023 with over 20 years’ experience in the Charity sector. His financial and wider management background in the sector adds real value to the organisation. Having spent much of his childhood in rural mid-Wales, his love of nature and the environment goes without saying – creating the perfect match with Project Seagrass. And my happy place? Well – that would have to be standing on the top of a mountain come rain or shine!

Celia joined Project Seagrass in May 2023 in a new Operations Manager role. A passionate conservationist and diver, she holds a PhD in Marine Science from the University of East Anglia and has extensive programme management experience.

Anouska is a multi-disciplinary scientist with over 12 years’ experience in academia undertaking coastal and marine research, including boat-based marine mammal acoustic surveys (RYA day skipper, Marine Mammal Medic), fish tagging (Home Office licensed) and tracking, seabird surveys (JNCC accredited) and coastal monitoring using dGPS and UAVs (CAA GVC operator for fixed-wing and multi-rotor).
As seagrass restoration lead for the Isle of Wight and The Solent, Anouska is currently collaborating with Sky Ocean Rescue and WWF undertaking scientific seagrass restoration trials in several locations. Anouska more recently worked on UKRI SMMR ‘Restoration of Seagrass for Ocean Wealth’ ReSOW project at Swansea University leading the fisheries supporting and provisioning services aspect of the project, researching commercial fish species within UK seagrass meadows creating a Seagrass Residency Index (SRI).

Becky started with Project Seagrass in December 2023 but has been in and out of work in seagrass conservation since her masters degree in 2019.
In her role Becky supports the restoration of seagrass meadows in the Solent and engages with the local community to sharing knowledge of local marine environment.

Coming soon!

Sam works at the forefront of Seagrass Ocean Rescue as the technical lead, pulling on ten years of experience working in conservation, he has worked as part of the core team responsible for planting 1 million seeds in Dale, West Wales. He has a BSc in Marine Biology from Bangor University as well as a MSc in Marine Environmental Protection. Having worked as the Benthic Marine Biology Technician on the SEACAMS2 project, Sam formed part of the team that developed BoSS lines, the biodegradable restoration method used in Seagrass Ocean Rescue. Sam is also a qualified PADI Divemaster and is currently training to become a Project Manager.

Adam has worked with Project Seagrass developing the SeagrassSpotter platform since its inception in 2015. His focus is on creating a scientific research tool that also encourages engagement from citizen scientists across the globe.

Originally from South Devon, UK, Louise loved growing up by the sea and is now living on the South Wales coastline. Louise brings her experience of fundraising, passion for empowering communities and love of the natural world to the role of Fundraising and Relationship Manager. Louise focuses on nurturing and developing relationships whilst also cultivating new opportunities. Louise is a keen gardener and always happy to chat on the phone or in person with supporters and donors so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Flo joined Project Seagrass in March 2023, following work in marine & freshwater environmental consultancy and work with Câr–y-Môrregenerative ocean farm. She has experience working with communities across projects, running workshops, and volunteering as a Community Rep for Surfers Against Sewage. She has an MSc in Sustainable Aquaculture Systems, and a BSc in Biology. She loves the interaction between social and environmental components of conservation and restoration. Outside of work, she loves surfing and running on Gower beaches.

Esther works within the core Restoration Forth team to restore seagrass meadows in the Firth of Forth and explores further seagrass restoration opportunities across Scotland. She has been working on seagrass since 2014 and is interested in the impact of anthropogenic nutrient pollution and eutrophication on seagrass meadows and their ecosystem services. After investigating tropical seagrasses in the Caribbean in her MSc thesis and in the South China Sea in her PhD, both at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research and the University of Bremen, Germany, she will now apply her knowledge to restore temperate seagrasses. She has a lot of fieldwork experience and is a certified European Scientific Diver.

Eve initially joined Project Seagrass in 2019 as a volunteer, later joining the Seagrass Ocean Rescue team as a Marine Laboratory Assistant, working on the WWF restoration in Dale and assisting in outreach. She has a BSc in Geography from Swansea University, where she began the crossover to working in aquatic habitats, studying the effects of deforestation in Borneo and agricultural runoff in South Wales on freshwater macroinvertebrates. Returning to the team in late 2020, she is now working as a Project Support Officer. Eve is currently undertaking her scuba training with BSAC.

Coming soon

Emily joined Project Seagrass and the nursery team in 2022, initially as a Husbandry Assistant before taking over as the Nursery Lead later in the year. She has a BSc from Bangor University in Marine Biology, and brings skills, knowledge, and experience from working as a senior aquarist on conservation and breeding projects for native blue lobsters, Crawfish and both Short-snouted and Spiny seahorses.