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This event took place on 17 February 2022.

We are proud to present the Inaugural Professorial Lecture of Professor Kerry Howell.

As populations rise and coastal resources dwindle, industry is pushing into deeper water to exploit new resources in order to meet growing demand. Fishing and oil extraction are going deeper than ever, while added pressures from potential developments in renewable energy and aquaculture are on the horizon. Set this growth in exploitation against the reality that the deep sea remains the least explored, least understood, and largest part of our planet, and we face a critical problem.

Professor of Deep Sea Ecology, Kerry Howell, has spent 20 years conducting fundamental research to inform sustainable management of deep-sea ecosystems. Her research aims to address questions around the impacts of human use on deep-sea ecosystems by providing the most basic of information, such as: what lives in the deep sea? Where is it and how does it live? What does it do? Critically, what is the importance of deep-sea life to society?

In this insightful lecture, Kerry reflects on her extensive research in supporting sustainable development of deep-sea ecosystems. Her experience includes working for UK Government on the development of the offshore Marine Protected Area network and Strategic Environmental Assessment. Since returning to academia, Kerry has led pioneering research defining, mapping and modelling deep-sea ecosystems and developed innovative technology solutions, such as using artificial intelligence to quickly identify species. Now as co-coordinator of Challenger 150, a UN-endorsed 10-year global scientific effort to study the deep sea, Kerry looks forward to what the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development holds for deep-sea science and particularly the role of new technology in this effort.

You are welcome to join us for University of Plymouth's Inaugural Professorial Lecture series, which provide a milestone event in a professorial career. Through these we can promote and celebrate the academic reputation and achievements within their research.

More info on Kerry's research

Marine Institute

Marine Institute 

The University’s Marine Institute is the first and largest such institute in the UK. 

We provide the external portal to our extensive pool of world-leading experts and state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to understand the relationship between the way we live, the seas that surround us and the development of sustainable policy solutions. 

We are integrating our multidisciplinary expertise in marine and maritime research, education and innovation to train new scientists, engineers, policy-makers, artists, technicians and business managers of the future. 

Find out more about the institute and our research, education and facilities

Public Research Programme

The year-long programme of public events showcases our research across a spectrum of topics. It presents the Inaugural Professorial Lecture series which celebrates the achievements of our academics who have been awarded their professorship; providing a platform for which they can share insights into their esteemed research.
All are welcome to join us as our academics open the door to the intriguing world of research, inviting you to learn more about the fascinating work taking place across the University.
Roland Levinsky Building at night