Professor Kerry Howell

Professor Kerry Howell is Deputy Programme Leader for the BSc (Hons) Marine Biology and Oceanography at the University of Plymouth. She is also an active academic researcher working on various topics related to conservation and sustainable management of the deep sea and high seas, and marine habitat mapping.

From an academic perspective Kerry’s research is focused on understanding biodiversity patterns in the deep sea. She is interested in faunal zonation and species turnover with depth, as well as speciation along the depth gradient. More recently she has been investigating patchiness and faunal changes along isobaths, and trying to understand environmental drivers of deep-sea diversity and species distributions.

From an applied perspective Kerry’s research is focused on sustainable management of the deep-sea ecosystem. In particular she is interested in research to support the design of effective marine protected area networks, including the creation of reliable habitat maps, and models of population connectivity that under-pin the design.