Room: Room 325, Nautilus Suite, Westbury Mount              Phone: Teams

E-mail: [email protected]                     Twitter: @LizUnderwater

Web: Google Scholar; ResearchGate;  LinkedIn

I am an interdisciplinary marine scientist, with a grounding in marine ecology, specialising in ocean literacy and human-nature connection. 

My academic training began at the University of Wales, Bangor in 1999, with a BSc (Hons.) in Marine Biology. Subsequently, I pursued interests in tropical marine ecology and research in the Philippines and Egypt leading back to Bangor for an MSc. in Marine Environmental Protection. In 2005 I established Marine Ecological Solutions (Marine EcoSol), a small marine consultancy specialising in UK scientific diving survey and logistics and subtidal epibenthic survey by scientific diving and underwater imagery.

After 16 years of working as an ecologist, consultant and scientific diver for government agencies, NGOs and private clients, I was increasingly asked to work with people. In 2016 I returned to academia as a PhD student under supervision of Professor Stuart Jenkins and Dr Freya St. John, with research interests in how the marine environment impacts people, and how people impact the marine environment. Following that I had several post-doctoral positions as a marine social scientist and knowledge broker at the university including working on the Ecostructure, Tidal Cut Off, and Sustainable Fisheries Wales projects.

I am currently a full time Senior Researcher in ocean literacy at the Nordland Research Institute (a social science research institute) in Norway, and an Honorary Research Fellow at Bangor University. 

Research Areas

Marine Conservation and Resource Management

Ocean Literacy 

Human-Nature Connection

The Bangor University Places of Climate Change Group

Secretary of a Bangor-wide collaborative Research Centre named ‘PloCC’ has emerged to jointly address sense-of-place notions in relation to climate change.

Places of Climate Change (PloCC) (bangor.ac.uk)

The Bangor University Wellbeing Research Group

Together with wellbeing researchers in other schools across the University, I founded and lead this group. We aim to bring together researchers of wellbeing across the University to share research ideas, experiences and collaborative opportunities. We meet monthly in an informal setting, with occasional guest speakers and seminars. Contact me if you are interested in coming along. 

I was also a School of Ocean Sciences general member of the Bangor University CoESE Ethics & Governance Committee for two years.

My PhD was a Marine EcoSol (www.marine-ecosol.com) collaboration with Bangor University, funded by KESS 2.  Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS 2) is a pan-Wales higher level skills initiative led by Bangor University on behalf of the HE sector in Wales. It is part funded by the Welsh Government's European Social Fund (ESF) convergence programme for West Wales and the Valleys. 
https://www.bangor.ac.uk/doctoral-school/kess