OSC - Key Persons
I completed my BSc in Environmental Sciences from the University of East Anglia and then went on to study an MSc in Marine Sciences from Utrecht University. Throughout my studies, I undertook a range of research projects from assessing heavy metal effects on macro algae, to ablating ciliates with a laser to determine their carbon content and finishing with designing a small-scale 3D printed mangrove tree for use in stability testing.
From there I spent time working as a Marine Scientist, buoy hopping around the Irish Sea, managing and delivering data projects for a range of clients in offshore renewables and water quality surveys. As a Marine Consultant at OSC, I work across a wide project portfolio and contribute to understanding and protecting marine mammals!
I've been on the ocean since I was a week old. From sailing around the Channel Islands in California to poking around in tide pools, I have always been fascinated by marine critters. During my BSc, I used photo ID to investigate rates of injury in grey whales from their feeding grounds off Vancouver Island, Canada, to their breeding lagoons in Mexico. I then moved to the UK where I completed an MRes and PhD at the University of Aberdeen. My PhD research focused on modelling the spatial distribution of harbor porpoise around Scotland using data collected by an array of echolocation-click detectors (C-PODs) within the Moray Firth, and aerial video surveys along the entire east coast.
Since joining Ocean Science Consulting Limited (OSC) as a Research Analyst in August 2018, I have worked on a variety of commercial and research projects including modelling porpoise detections, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) imagery surveys, rigs-to-reefs, underwater noise propagation modelling, and even bat ecology. In my current role as Head of Projects, I am responsible for project management, business strategy, tendering and grant writing, quality assurance of reports and publications, as well as staff and student supervision and mentoring.
Todd, V.L.G., Williamson, L.D., Couto, A., Todd, I.B., and Clapham, P.J. (2022): New offshore gas platform has no long-term effect on porpoises. Marine Mammal Science 38, 1609-1622.
Ian Todd - Managing Director
I have always been drawn to the ocean, and marine mammals have been a fascination of mine ever since I was a child, filling my room with everything dolphin I could find and taking every opportunity I could to see them in the wild. I studied a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth, which took me to Greece for my dissertation on the distribution of dolphins in the Ionian Sea in relation to environmental variables. I then stayed put to complete an MSc in Applied Marine Science, opting to investigate the ecology of bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary in Ireland for my thesis.
I participated in various volunteer projects, including studying bottlenose dolphins and porpoises in Wales and humpback dolphins in Australia, before joining OSC in 2012 as an MMO and PAM Operator, followed by Research Assistant and finally Marine Scientist. It was a really varied role that took me around the world and enabled me to get stuck into many fascinating research projects, including being an author of the MMO and PAM Handbook. Following a break from OSC, I have rejoined the team as Research Coordinator and am helping to drive OSC's research department as it progresses in the acoustic and rigs-to-reefs/decommissioning fields.
My marine biology career started focused on shark ecology after I was lucky enough to travel to the Seychelles to research whale shark ecology for my Masters Thesis, studying Marine Biology at the University of Southampton. After completing my MSCi in 2011 I moved out to Australia where I studied whale shark ecology alongside working for various whale shark swim tours on the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. In the four and a half years I spent there I swam with hundreds of whale sharks, got my divemaster qualification, collected plankton samples, whale shark fecal samples (this is as difficult as it sounds!) and photo ID shots. I also saw the incredible diversity of wildlife the Ningaloo has to offer - humpback whales, orca, blue whales, manta rays, sunfish, dolphins, dugongs and tiger sharks, to name just a few.
I moved home in 2015 and made a total career change to work in Database Marketing for a multi-billion-dollar global company. I worked my way up the ranks to Account Director - in charge of my own team and developing multi-national data strategies and marketing strategies for household name brands. I enjoyed the deeply technical aspects of the role, growing my brilliant team and working with fantastic clients, but there was always something missing.
As a Marine Biologist at OSC I am delighted to be back in the marine sector, advancing my knowledge on marine mammals after falling in love with the marine mammals I saw back in Australia. I'm excited to be involved in the vital research the company carries out and to be working as a Marine Mammal Observer for offshore and onshore projects. It's fantastic to be working for a company so driven in not just mitigation and protection but also the advancement of our knowledge of marine mammals as a scientific community.
In my free time I love anything in/underwater - swimming, diving, free-diving. I also love cooking, painting and travelling.
I have several decades of finance experience in various sectors which I am enjoying applying to this dynamic company. It is a very interesting place to work with such a dedicated and highly motivated team. In my spare time I enjoy a beach ride occasionally on my highland pony.
From a very early age, I was exposed to the sea. Some of my earliest memories are from fishing with my parents on boats off the coast of Wales, however I think I was more on the lookout for puffins, which seemed to catch my attention more than anything else. Even back home in Liverpool, I spent a lot of time at the local marina crabbing, yet I did not consider a marine career until much later down the line.
I did my BSc in Earth Science at Newcastle University, knowing I wanted a career in natural sciences but not knowing which way to go with it. After graduating, during the later part of the COVID pandemic, I worked as a Business Analyst for the United Kingdom Health Security Agency. Finishing this role, and feeling a little lost, I decided to volunteer on terrestrial and marine conservation programs across Namibia and South Africa and it was here, after seeing orcas, humpback and southern right whales, African penguins, Cape fur seals, and great white sharks, where I realised my true love for all things marine. Once home, I enrolled on an MSc at Newcastle University in International Marine Environmental Consultancy, where I focused my dissertation project on documenting interactions between seals and Northumberland inshore net fisheries. I hope to further my career with OSC and contribute towards real, impactful science.
I have always been interested in nature, animals, and the ocean, but my desire to launch a career in marine conservation came later in life. I grew up in rural western Pennsylvania before moving to Philadelphia, where I obtained my BA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University. After university, I moved to Los Angeles to follow my dream of working in the film industry.
For 15 years, I worked in post-production in the film industry, primarily as an assistant editor. During this time, I began volunteering locally at the Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica. It was at Heal the Bay where I truly fell in love with sea creatures and felt the pull to get involved in more marine conservation projects. I volunteered with organisations in Belize, Cambodia, and Slovenia, while also maintaining my long-term volunteer status at the aquarium (9 years and 1100+ hours!). During 2020 and the COVID lockdowns, I decided that I wanted to pursue my goal of contributing to marine conservation full time, and in 2022 I was accepted to the Applied Marine and Fisheries Ecology MSc programme at the University of Aberdeen. I traded the sunny skies Los Angeles for the beautiful greys of Aberdeen, where I completed my master's degree in 2023. My thesis was on the essential habitats of herring and sprat in the North Sea in a time of uncertainty regarding offshore renewable energy developments, fisheries, and climate change.
The opportunity to work as a report writer at OSC was a compelling factor in my decision to remain in the UK after graduation, rather than return to the United States. I am excited to apply my skills to write reports, to learn more about MMO and PAM work, and to contribute to meaningful marine mammal consultancy work. In my spare time I enjoy baking, knitting, and exploring the outdoors in bonnie Scotland.