Dr Ceri Lewis

About me:

My research interests lie in understanding how marine invertebrates adapt and survive in a changing and increasingly polluted marine environment, and the potential impacts of environmental change on their physiology and reproduction. My current research focuses on 2 main areas; 1) biological impacts of microplastics on marine invertebrates 2) the interactions between chronic pollution and ocean acidification on fitness and function in adult and larval marine invertebrates. In 2010 and 2011 I was part of the Catlin Arctic Survey expedition to study ocean acidification in the high Arctic. I have also led research expeditions to determine the extent of marine microplastic pollution in a number of remote locations including the Galapagos and the Azores.

In addition to my research I’m very active in public and educational outreach, teaming up with an educational charity to get my research findings fed into UK and international schools. I was short-listed for a 2014 WISE award for this outreach work which has reached >3.5 million children worldwide. I regularly contribute to policy consultations, was a witness at the 2017 Commons Select Committee enquiry on ocean acidification and regulalrly advise the BBC on marine or plastics focussed porgrammes.

My over-riding research interests lie in understanding how marine invertebrates adapt and survive in a changing and increasingly polluted marine environment, and the potential impacts of environmental change on their reproduction, larval ecology and life history evolution. My current research focuses on 2 main areas; 1) the interactions between chronic pollution and ocean acidification on fitness parameters in adult and larval marine invertebrates; 2) the potential for environmental disruption of sperm function in broadcast spawning invertebrates and its ecological consequences. I am also a key member of an international team of biologists and oceanographers conducting ocean acidification research in the Canadian High Arctic as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, joining their expeditions in 2010 and 2011.

PhD Marine Biology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. 1998-2002
NERC studentship (DEMA thematic programme) GST/02/2164
BSC. Marine Biology 2.1 (Hons). University of Wales, Swansea. 1995-1998

2012-present Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology
2009-2012 NERC Research Fellow, University of Exeter
2009 Research Fellow, Peninsula Medical School and University of Exeter
2007- 2008 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Exeter
2005-2007 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Plymouth
2002- 2004 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, International Ocean Institute-SA, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa