I have been interested in birds since childhood and fortunate to turn that interest into a career. This began at the University of Glasgow, followed by 20 years studying the impact of human activities on coastal birds. For over 16 years I have been a marine ornithologist for Natural England assessing the potential impacts of offshore wind farms on seabirds and creating Marine Protected Areas.

I live in Dorset, as does the last colony of puffins on England's south coast. This colony has declined by 90% since the 1960s. There are now just three pairs. No one knows the cause of the decline; predation of the eggs or chicks is likely and local extinction seems imminent.

The focus of my Fellowship is to learn from conservationists in the USA who pioneered the restoration of extinct seabird colonies, and from researchers in Sweden who constructed artificial cliffs where seabirds can nest in safety but are accessible to the researchers. This learning will enable me to design a project to recover the Dorset puffin colony. I will engage my local community in this project and spread the word to encourage other communities to follow our lead and play their part in marine conservation.