Professor Nick Polunin
Professor of Marine Environmental Science

  • Email: nick.polunin@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 222 6675
  • Fax: +44 (0) 191 222 7891
  • Address: School of Marine Science & Technology
    Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, England
Background: I am a community marine ecologist who uses macroecological (marine protected area, coral bleaching and fishing effects), modelling and stable isotope approaches to help understand what holds marine ecosystems together. This work has long had a strong ‘conservation science’ goal including interactions with the social sciences. A principal focus remains on coral reefs, but the work also embraces temperate ecosystems, and my current projects include studying coral reef fish-habitat relationships in the Caribbean, deep sea hydrothermal vent food webs in the Southern Ocean, fisheries extinctions in the Philippines and sustainability of a North Sea fishery. I am also Editor in Chief of the international journal Environmental Conservation.
Roles: Degree programme director of marine science MSc programmes, NIRES Marine Newcastle Steering Group, Leader on Environmental Systems 

 

Research Interests
Ecology of coral reef ecosystems
Stable isotope elucidation of food web structure
Coral bleaching effects on reef ecosystems
Ecology of marine protected areas
Current Work
Research Associates: Dr Steve P Newman - reef fish/habitat relationships; Dr Chris J Sweeting - trophodynamics/stable isotopes
Visiting Academics: Prof. Jorge Cortes-Nunez (University of Costa Rica), Prof. Simon Jennings (CEFAS/UEA)
Visiting Researchers: Dr Catherine Scott (Natural England), Dr Margarita N Lavides (Ateneo de Manila University), David Galvan (CENPAT, Argentina)
Research students (current) Chon Poosuwan (with C Fitzsimmons) - reef remote monitoring methodologies; Wahyu Nugraha (with SP Rushton, SP Newman) - macroecology of Caribbean parrotfish; Dan Skerritt (with C Fitzsimmons, C Scott) - lobster abundance and movement; George Stoyle (with SP Newman, SP Rushton) - parrotfish and macroalgal dominance of reefs; Andrew Spencer (with C Fitzsimmons) - crab growth and stock assessment methods; Charlie Dryden (with SP Rushton, SP Newman) - reef fish-habitat relationships in the Caribbean; Fabrice Stephenson (with C Fitzsimmons, C Scott) - benthic habitat/potfishing interactions;
PhD students (last 10 years): Saoud Al-Habsi, Helen J Bloomfield, Annette Breckwoldt (Muehlig-Hofmann), Carolyn J Barnes, Alex J Caveen, Nick AJ Graham, Margarita N Lavides, Ben J Kurten, M Aaron MacNeil, Will DK Reid, Aileen C Mill, Pia Schuchert, Ruben J Sulu, Rachel A Turner
Recent Research Associates: WJF Le Quesne (CEFAS) - modelling of MPAs on continental shelves; R Fisher - reef ecosystem modelling

Outreach etc

President, International Society for Reef Studies, 2003-2006
Northumberland Inshore Fisheries & COnservation Authority, Committee member
DEFRA Marine Fisheries Science Advisory Committee, 2006-
President, Foundation for Environmental Conservation, 1996-
Editor in Chief, Environmental Conservation, 1996-

Funding

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for International Development
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
European Commission
Fisheries Society of the British Isles
Foundation for Environmental Conservation
Leverhulme Trust
Marine Management Organisation
National Geographic Society
Natural Environment Research Council
Darwin Initiative

Projects

BSc MST2001 Tropical Marine Environment & Ecology
BSc MST3021 North Sea Science
MSc MST8005 Research in Coastal Management
MSc MST8021 Fisheries Resources Assessment and Management
MSc MST8011 Critical Appraisal of Coastal Production Systems