School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth

MSc Marine Conservation fieldtrip to Wembury with Devon Wildlife Trust and the Ocean Conservation Trust 🌊☀️

Studying in Plymouth means learning right on the coast, with hands-on field experiences that bring marine conservation to life 🐚🌿

👀 MSc students - can you tell us what’s happening in these photos? Drop a comment below!

📢 Last chance to have your say!

The FoSE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Student Survey closes on Tuesday, 31st March. Your feedback is vital in helping us understand student experiences, improve support, and build a more inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

📝 Complete the survey here: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/plymouth/fose-edi-student-survey-2025-26

All responses are anonymous and confidential.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part so far, we really value your input!

Meet Franz, a final-year PhD researcher at the University of Plymouth, whose work focuses on marine eco-engineering and enhancing biodiversity on urban coastlines 🌊

His research explores how artificial coastal structures like seawalls, breakwaters and harbours can be redesigned to better support marine life. By combining intertidal ecology with innovative design, Franz investigates how increasing structural complexity can help restore benthic communities in built environments.

A key part of his work centres on Living Seawalls - 3D-printed panels inspired by natural habitats such as rockpools and oyster reefs. Installed in Plymouth and around the world, these panels create habitat for marine species while also supporting ecosystem services like blue carbon storage and improved water quality.

For more information on the Living Seawall in Plymouth, click the link in our bio.

🌍 To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Plymouth is bringing together staff and students for a day of inspiring talks, shared experiences and meaningful conversations.

📍 Plymouth Lecture Theatre, Portland Square
📅 Wednesday 11 March 2026

☕ 10:00 – 10:10 | Welcome and introduction
Refreshments available on arrival.

✨ 10:10 – 10:40 | Kim Ward – Athena Swan Silver
Following the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences receiving a Silver Athena Swan award in 2025, Kim Ward will share highlights from the application process and future priorities for advancing gender equality.

🌋 10:45 – 11:15 | Sarah Boulton – Girls into Geoscience
An initiative started in 2014 to empower girls to pursue geoscience degrees and careers. Sarah will explore the motivations behind the programme and its impact over the past decade.

🌱 11:20 – 11:50 | Garcia Wa – The Quiet Companion of Growth
A personal reflection on imposter syndrome during periods of growth and leadership, and how mentorship, support and inclusive environments help women thrive in STEM.

🤝 12:00 – 13:00 | Networking lunch (SECaM Student EDI Committee)
Staff and students are invited to share a “Give” (advice or experience) and a “Gain” (a question they’d like insight on), encouraging conversations around careers, leadership and resilience.

🚀 13:10 – 13:40 | Julie O’Brien – Why did I choose Pippy Longstocking
Julie shares her journey from struggling at school to completing a PhD, discovering she was dyslexic at 61 and building a diverse career along the way.

🎯 13:45 – 14:15 | Clare Embling – Strategies for Success
An interactive session exploring strategies from successful university professionals, including writing goals on postcards that will be sent back in six months’ time.

🔬 14:20 – 14:50 | Hannah Gallagher – Women in the Science Industry
Students discuss challenges and misconceptions women face in STEM and how they can be overcome through experience and networking.

💬 14:50 – 15:00 | Closing words

Discover the future of maritime technology 🌊

Join a free online webinar led by Assistant Professors Dena Bazazian and Pablo Borja from the University of Plymouth, exploring how emerging technologies are driving innovation and automation across the maritime sector.

👉 Limited places still available - register via the link in our bio.

🎓🌊 The PlyMSEF Student Conference is back for 2026!

Join us at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) for a day of talks, posters, and networking celebrating marine research across Plymouth.

The Plymouth Marine Science and Education Foundation (PlyMSEF) is a charitable organisation that promotes and supports marine science and education across the city, connecting five marine-focused organisations:

• DDRC Healthcare
• Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (MBA)
• Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
• Ocean Conservation Trust
• University of Plymouth Marine Institute

This conference offers a friendly and supportive space for students to share their work. Master’s and PhD students are invited to present oral or poster presentations, and undergraduate students are very welcome to attend and watch.

☕ Tea, coffee, and lunch provided
🤝 Plenty of opportunities to network

🔗 Find out more and register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/plymsef-student-conference-tickets-1978261323873

Meet Matilda, a second-year PhD researcher at the University of Plymouth, whose work focuses on understanding how sharks and rays use habitats within Plymouth Sound, one of the UK’s busiest urban coastal environments 🦈🌊

Her research combines six years of baited underwater video footage collected by the aMER team with acoustic telemetry, tagging species such as the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) and the nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris). This allows Matilda to track their movements across a network of receivers deployed with support from KHM and University of Plymouth divers.

Matilda is currently continuing to tag sharks with the help of local fishermen, building a clearer picture of how these species move through and use our local waters.

“I am lucky that my work is endorsed not only by the University of Plymouth, but also by Marine Research Plymouth, with supervisors from both PML and the MBA, and funding from the Fishmongers’ Company and the Environment Agency.” - Matilda



.marine.station

We’re delighted to welcome Prof. Thomas Miller from Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland, for a seminar on:
“Climate change and carryover effects in fish and shellfish”

📅 Wednesday 4 February 2026
⏰ 13:00–14:00
📍 RLB Levinsky Hall

This seminar explores new research conducted on estuarine and coastal organisms that examines how exposure to variation in projected conditions can carryover from one life stage to the next, possibly pre-adapting organism to future conditions.

🎟️ Free and open to all

Despite covering over 70% of our planet, less than a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped. We know more about the surfaces of Mars and the Moon than our own oceans — and this film changes that.

Join us for the opening screening of Antarctica: Ocean Exploration Uncovered, an immersive 360° film experience following an international team of scientists as they deploy underwater robots to map hidden volcanoes and uncover submarine geohazards, dangers that could trigger tsunamis across the globe.

🎥 Featuring a short introduction and live Q&A with the University of Plymouth’s Dr Jenny Gales

Want to be taught by world-leading scientists like Dr Jenny Gales? She is Programme Lead for BSc Ocean Exploration and Surveying and Deputy Programme Lead for MSc Hydrography at the University of Plymouth.

🎟️ Free event - Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/antarctica-ocean-exploration-uncovered-a-360-degree-immersive-short-film-tickets-1980452004257?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl