Laura Jane Watson
Campaigns Officer, Keep Scotland Beautiful
- Member directory
- United Kingdom
I am a marine biology graduate with an MSc in conservation from Plymouth Uni. I use to be the assistant community manager of WildHub and. have a passion for science communication and bringing people together. 🦇 In my spare time I have a blog as well as a Redbubble shop where I sell my artwork. Check it out under my website link :) 🦇 Other interests include the use of technology (specifically cameras) to study animals as well as animal husbandry and advocacy.
I work for a marine science & conservation non-profit studying species and habitats in the Salish Sea and beyond. Much of our work involves looks at how anthropogenic impacts like vessel traffic and underwater noise change the behavior of threatened populations such as southern resident killer whales. Other topics we work on include cetacean distribution and habitat use, the estimated effects of deep sea mining, salmon preservation, and habitat restoration. I have skills in GIS, R, and ecological modeling. I am most interested in research involving spatial data, oceanography, and marine vertebrate behavior.
I previously worked on field projects studying cetaceans in British Columbia and sea turtles in Costa Rica, the US, and Australia.
I completed an MRes in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth where I used density surface models to assess the distribution and abundance of harbour porpoises around the UK.
I am currently a zookeeper studying in wildlife conservation and taking the program management and grant writing course with wild teams. I love being outdoors walking in nature
I graduated in 2010 with a BSc Zoology and have since gained extensive experience across the field of environmental education and volunteer management. I have worked within zoos in the UK and abroad on programmes managing a variety of volunteer projects with a focus on coastal and marine conservation.
I am a Trustee for UK registered charity, Shark Guardian, and help lead on a number of policy and behavioural change campaigns, partnerships and educational projects.
I am a keen scuba diver and have trained up to become a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and love to introduce divers to the world of citizen science - that all of us can get involved in protecting our natural world. I enjoy exploring our beautiful underwater world, abroad and here in the UK.