Growing up moving around the world, Jen was always going to work with animals and has always been happiest underwater! She has worked around the world ever since, running marine conservation projects as an environmental consultant in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and studying in Wales, Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Jen moved to Aotearoa New Zealand to complete her PhD on how different soft-sediment habitats influence the functioning of our coastal environments. She now works as a Senior Lecturer in coastal restoration, focusing on how we can improve ocean health for both ecosystems and communities.
Jen leads research across multiple shellfish species and brings deep expertise in soft-sediment systems and coastal ecology to Revive Our Gulf. This broader perspective helps inform our understanding of the conditions needed for kūtai reefs to survive and develop over time, and contributes to the design and ongoing refinement of our restoration efforts across the Hauraki Gulf.
Favourite marine species
Seashells
Favourite marine habitat
Soft-sediments
Favourite hobby
Being underwater
