My research interests centre on determining the ecological relevance of planktonic protists within aquatic ecosystems, focusing on two main areas:

Prey recognition by predatory planktonic protist :  There is much evidence to suggest that protists can discriminate between similar-sized prey items based on differences in cell surface chemical composition of their prey. We are currently unravelling the mechanisms involved in biochemical prey recognition by identifying receptors used by predatory protists to bind to specific molecules present on the surface of their prey.

The occurrence of Hematodinium outside its macrocrustacean hosts : Hematodinium is a protist parasite that infects many of the UK’s commercially and ecologically important crustacean species. Because Hematodinium-associated disease can cause high death rates amongst crustacean stocks the biology of the parasite within the crustacean tissues and blood has been well studied. Surprisingly, however, little is known about the life cycle of the parasite when it leaves the infected crustaceans. We are using molecular probes to search for Hematodinium DNA in the marine environment. We are also investigating whether Hematodinium infects other marine organisms in addition to its known crustacean hosts.

External Activities

• Member of the UK NERC Peer Review College (panel member for Consortium, Standard and Small grants).
• Organizer of the British Society for Protist Biology (BSPB) 2008 Annual Meeting, Gregynog, Wales.
• Member of the BSPB Committee

• Organizer of the Swansea Science Café: Science Cafe Web Pages

Internal Activities

• Member of the School Research Committee: Deputy Director 2008-2011
• Member of the School Research Group Leaders Forum 2008-2011
• Distinguished teaching award 2006

Research Council Funding  

NERC Small Grant: Seeking the missing link: Investigating the occurrence of the protist parasite Hematodinium outside its crustacean hosts. Awarded April 2009. £41,761

NERC Small Grant: Proteomics: A novel approach to the study of prey recognition by planktonic protists. Awarded January 2009. £40,426

NERC Standard Grant: A matter of taste: revealing underlying mechanisms behind recognition of prey by protozooplankton, focusing on the role of the mannose binding lectin. Awarded June 2005. £239,363

NERC New Investigators Grant: Cell-surface mechanisms for the recognition of prey by marine bacterivorous protozooplankton. Awarded May 2003. £50,432