The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Clare's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About Clare
I am an Associate Professor of Marine Ecology and Associate Head of School for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI). My work integrates inclusive leadership, research-led teaching, and internationally recognised marine ecology research, with a strong focus on translating science into conservation impact.
I lead and champion ٱwithin the School and across the wider University. I successfully led our School’s Athena Swan Bronze submission in 2025, embedding sustainable action plans to advance gender equality and foster an inclusive culture. My EDI work focuses on structural change and cultural transformation, this includes the successful Women into Leadership programme, and a wide range of initiatives designed to embed inclusive teaching practices, improve representation, and create a supportive and equitable working environment for both staff and students.
ѲٱԲis research-led and field-based, designed to equip students with the skills, confidence, and real-world experience needed for careers in marine science and conservation. I lead the in partnership with the Manta Trust. This initiative trains students as “ocean conservationists,” combining science, conservation practice, and leadership development. Students undertake their own fundraising initiatives and support the in the Maldives, linking global conservation challenges with practical action. Also, together with Simon Ingram, I established the University’s annual along the UK south coast. Through our university sailing yacht Take the Helm, we train students in marine mammal and seabird survey techniques, providing hands-on experience in field ecology. The data collected contributes directly to research and management within the English Channel & Western Approaches Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA). Across all my teaching, I aim to integrate research, field skills, conservation impact, and inclusive practice.
Research & Impact: I am a marine ecologist whose research spans marine predator ecology, bioacoustics, human impacts on marine mammals, and the application of science to conservation and management. My work examines how environmental variability, oceanographic processes, and anthropogenic pressures shape the distribution, behaviour, and vulnerability of marine predators across temperate and tropical systems. A defining feature of my research is a strong commitment to equitable international partnerships and inclusive research practice. I actively work to avoid “parachute science” by embedding capacity building, regional leadership, and long-term collaboration into all of my projects. For example, my research on cetaceans in the Chagos Archipelago (funded by the Bertarelli Foundation 2022-2026) — the first comprehensive study of its kind — was built around regional capacity development. The project included supporting PhD students from the region, delivered skills training in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and developed regional outreach activities including training sessions and educational materials for schools. These initiatives were designed to ensure that expertise, opportunity, and ownership of conservation knowledge remain within the region. Similarly, my current project in the Turks and Caicos Islands (funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation, 2025-27), investigating oceanographic drivers of fish biomass, integrates skills training, local research collaboration, and schools engagement as core components of the work. By combining ecological research with training and community outreach, I aim to strengthen local capacity to understand and manage marine ecosystems in a changing ocean.
Alongside this international work, I have led and contributed to studies including investigations of manta ray movements and fish aggregations in the tropical Indian Ocean (funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation, 2019-2023), assessed the benefits of offshore mussel farms to pelagic fish biomass (Ropes to Reefs, DEFRA funded 2023-2025) and carried out long-term research on harbour porpoises in UK waters that has informed the designation and management of Marine Protected Areas.
A core strength of my research is the application of acoustic approaches. I use passive acoustic monitoring to study cetacean presence, behaviour, and noise exposure, and active acoustics to investigate pelagic fish distributions and predator–prey interactions. My work also addresses major conservation challenges, including the impacts of marine noise on cetaceans and baleen whale entanglement in fishing gear.
Across all projects, my goal is to link rigorous ecological science with meaningful conservation impact — ensuring that research not only advances knowledge, but builds inclusive partnerships, strengthens local capacity, and supports sustainable marine management globally.
Teaching
I am currently deputy programme lead for the BSc in Marine Biology & Oceanography, and module leader for:
- MBIO339 Ecology & Conservation of Marine Vertebrates (3rd year)
I also teach on the following modules:
- MBIO120 Introduction to Marine Biology (1st Year)
- MBIO123 Marine Biology Field Course (1st Year)
- MBIO229 Methods in Marine Biology (2nd year)
- MBIO227 Biological Oceanography Field Course (2nd year)
- OS201 Global Ocean Processes (2nd year)
- OS304 Marine Ecosystems Conservation (3rd year)
- MBIO341 Biological Oceanography (3rd year)
I also supervise a range of both undergraduate & masters students from a range of programmes across the school, as well as take on work experience and placement students.
Contact Clare
+44 1752 586137
clare.embling@plymouth.ac.uk