Skip to main content
Research group

Healthy Oceans

Shoal of herring swimming in the ocean

Ocean health links researchers and practitioners in all aspects of marine biology. This includes resilience, biodiversity, conservation, evolution, and the impacts of pollution and anthropogenic activities on marine ecosystems.

About

The Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) Healthy Oceans special interest group promotes cutting-edge research and engaged industry expertise to address the critical environmental, ecological and conservation challenges facing our oceans. 

Our collaborative approach aims to bridge the gap between academia, policy, industry, and the public. This enables us to develop and communicate innovative solutions that contribute to the health of our oceans.

We are particularly interested in key areas such as: 

  • monitoring marine biodiversity
  • investigating the impacts of marine pollution
  • understanding anthropogenic impacts on marine life
  • exploring marine resilience  

Our interests span spatial scales from studies of individual organisms to those covering whole ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them.  

To find out more about the Healthy Oceans Special Interest Group and what we do, get in touch with group champion Christopher Goatley.

Join the SMMI Community to sign up to this group and our other special interest groups.

People, projects and publications

People

Dr Kerri Dobson

Teaching Fellow in Marine Biology

Email: k.l.dobson@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Dr Maria Baker

Principal Enterprise Fellow

Email: mcb3@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Professor Martin Solan

Professor of Marine Ecology

Research interests

  • Biodiversity ecosystem function bioturbation benthic ecology

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: m.solan@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Dr Matt Kerr

Lecturer

Research interests

  • Nineteenth-century literature and culture; 
  •  Oceanic humanities; 
  •  Waste and rubbish; 

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: m.p.kerr@soton.ac.uk

Address: B65, Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, SO17 1BF

Emeritus Professor Neil Wells

Email: n.c.wells@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Professor Paul Kemp

Professor of Ecological Engineering

Email: p.kemp@soton.ac.uk

Address: Boldrewood Campus, Burgess Road, SO16 7QF

Dr Ramsey Selim

Enterprise Development Manager

Email: r.selim@soton.ac.uk

Address: B60, West Highfield Campus, 104-118 Burgess Road, SO17 1TW

Dr Rodrigo Ortiz Vazquez

Research Fellow

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: rodrigo.ortiz-vazquez@soton.ac.uk

Address: B65a, Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, SO17 1BF

Dr Sam Thompson

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Chemical Biology
  • Organic Synthesis
  • Medicinal Chemistry

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: sam.thompson@southampton.ac.uk

Address: B30, East Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ

Professor Stephen Turnock

Head of School

Research interests

  • His fluid dynamics expertise lies in the synthesis of analytical, experimental and computational methods for a diverse range of applications. Examples of such work are in the development of a patented integrated tidal energy generator (winner of The Engineers’ Energy Sector Innovation award 2008), supervision of the students who designed Amy Williams’ Gold medal winning bob skeleton sled (winner of The Engineer’s Sport Technology Innovation award in 2010) and with continued support for Gold medal success in 2014 and 2018, academic supervisor for the Delphin Autonomous underwater vehicle (winner of the SAUC-E competition in 2007).
  • He has acted as a consultant to diverse organisations including NOC, Speedo, Shell Shipping, BAEsystems, Rolls Royce, dstl, QinetiQ, and WS Atkins.
  • Expertise: Future Fuels for Shipping; Maritime Robotics and Autonomy; Rudder, hydrofoil, and control surface design; Unsteady race simulation for kayak, rowing and sailing; Hull-propeller-rudder interaction; Ship added resistance and manoeuvring in waves; Underwater noise prediction using CFD; Experimental techniques for use of wave/tow tank testing; Tidal turbines, wave energy and offshore wind turbine design; Wind turbine array power prediction; Hydrogen fuel cells for hybrid ship propulsion; Hydrodynamics of swimming assessment by pool based test techniques and using CFD.

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: s.r.turnock@soton.ac.uk

Address: Boldrewood Campus, Burgess Road, SO16 7QF

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Connect with us

Enquiries

If you're interested in joining us or collaborating, get in touch with the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.