Profile
Dr Chris Laing
Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology
+44 (0)1326 259337
Daphne du Maurier 3062
Daphne du Maurier Building, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
Office hours: You can join one of my office hours by coming by my *NEW* office on the top floor of the Stella Turk Building room 133 or calling me on Teams. Office hours until the 28th of March are: Tuesday at 13:00 Thursday at 10:00 If you are remote, call in with Teams during either of these times and I will pick up or call you back.
Overview
My work focuses on biogeochemical cycling set in the context of environmental change. In particular I am interested in nutrient cycling in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. A consistent theme of my research has been the cycling of carbon in organic material and its subsequent release, storage and transport. This work has a strong analytical component supported by field and laboratory studies with modeling components.
Since joining the CEC in Cornwall I have developed local research programmes that focus on monitoring the health and diversity of Cornwall's marine environment. Specifically I am working with students, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Cornwall Council to monitor the health and carbon cycling in our local seagrass habitats.
I teach across a range of digital platforms and have recently developed an online course on sustainable food in collaboration with the Eden Project called Food for Thought and a specialist digital platform to host our virtual field course called FieldSite.
Qualifications
MSc in Ecology, PhD in carbon cycling, Senior Fellow of the HEA
Research
Research interests
My research is focussed on the marine environment around Cornwall, specifically focussing on estimating blue carbon stocks in seagrass primarily but also Maerl, kelp and Salt Marshes, all of which are found in the Fal and Helford SAC. Along with this, I study the environmental pressures that could impact these important ecosystems and how they affect benthic invertebrates and mobile fish species that live within them. My work is primarily field-based and includes dive and snorkel surveys in the UK along with laboratory analyses of carbon stocks in organic matter.
Publications
Journal articles
Chris_Laing Details from cache as at 2024-03-19 04:57:06
External Engagement and Impact
Awards
Senior Teaching Fellow ASPIRE
Teaching Award Winner, 2020
External Examiner Positions
Oxford Brookes University-MSc Conservation Ecology
Find out more as.exeter.ac.uk/aspire
Teaching
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and am the current Director of Education for the Centre for Ecology and Conservation (CEC). Click here to see my profile on the education strategy webpage of the University as an example of multidisciplinary teaching within the ASPIRE framework.
I predominantly teach on the BSc and MSci Marine Biology degree overseeing the boatwork that is integral to this as well as leading The Southwest and Azores field courses. Our teaching intersects with numerious organisations and NGO's locally building on close relationships with Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Cornwall Council, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the Marine Biologocal Association (MBA).
Modules
2023/24
- BIO2438 - Marine Ecology
- BIO2450 - Biosciences Penryn Virtual Field Course
- BIO3440 - Global Research Skills Virtual Field Course
Supervision / Group
Postgraduate researchers
- Nicola Wilson
Alumni
- David Walker