The Sharkiologist
Biography
Born into an urban jungle on the 12th of July 1983, I spent the first 18 years of my life in West Bromwich in the Midlands, UK. I lived for holidays and days out to the seaside spending hours in the sea and investigating rock pools.
By the time I moved to Plymouth, UK in September 2001 to embark on my Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology (despite the slightly unusual combination of A’ Levels I had taken – Biology, Geography, Art and General Studies) it was fair to say that my experience of sharks was limited to face squashing encounters against re-enforced glass tanks at various aquariums across the UK.
As it happened, late 2001 turned out to be an advantageous time to get into the field of Marine Biology. The phenomenal television series The Blue Planet aired around the same time I began my degree and a heightened fascination of the oceans ensued.
During my 3 years spent at Plymouth my fascination with sharks and Marine Biology as a whole took off, thanks to field trips in fantastic locations, notably Langebaan, South Africa, as well as specific projects which allowed me to indulge purely in the shark realm.
I graduated from Plymouth University in 2004 with a 1st Class BSc Honours in Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology, with an idea that maybe I would do a masters (MSc) degree but no-way would I do a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Naturally I did the opposite and took a year out to go travelling, proclaiming I would do a PhD if it was shark related, and so it was that while propped at a hostel bar in Sydney, Australia, I signed on the dotted line and accepted my current PhD position in shark research here in Aberdeen, UK.