Role:

• Social Media Officer, 2025-2026

Contacts:

• Email: socialmedia@polarnetwork.org

Background:

Cassia is a master’s student in Marine Biology at the University of Southampton. Her main research interest lies in marine ecology, particularly the interactions between organisms and human activity and the wider impact these have on marine environments. She focuses largely on benthic communities and their role in ecosystem functioning, having worked with the Convex Seascape Survey to investigate how benthic invertebrates influence carbon storage and nutrient cycling, contributing to one of the first large-scale projects of its kind. She has worked with international organisations such as CONAMP and INAPESCA, contributing to juvenile mud crab survival in Mexico, and researching the connectivity of diseases between aquaculture farms with Marine Scotland.

Alongside her research, she volunteers with the Blue Marine Foundation to support oyster restoration in the Solent and acts as a representative for Surfers Against Sewage, leading grassroots environmental campaigns and awareness initiatives to support marine ecosystem resilience.

When not covered in mud, you can find Cassia playing for her university hockey team, hiking or SCUBA diving.