VIRTUAL RESEARCH CENTRE ● eLAB
Life on the shore is an information problem.
We study the solutions.
A portable research lab exploring crustacean biology, marine sensory ecology, and nearshore habitats. Not bound by any building — only by curiosity.
● Carcinology
● Sensory Biology
● Marine Disease Ecology
● Taxonomy
● Rocky Shore Ecology
31
Projects completed
15+
Students supervised
∞
Curiosity about crustaceans
1
Virtual space for marine research
Three pillars of inquiry
RESEARCH FOCUS
Our work sits at the intersection of behaviour, sensory biology, and ecology — with crustaceans as our primary model organisms and rocky shores and nearshore habitats as our arena.
Sensory biology
How marine invertebrates perceive and respond to their environment — chemical, mechanical, and visual cues that drive decision-making and survival.
Carcinology
The biology and natural history of crabs and crustaceans — from morphology and physiology to shell selection, competition, and social behaviour.
Marine ecology
Population dynamics, habitat use, and species interactions in intertidal and nearshore communities — with an eye toward conservation relevance.
WHAT IS AN eLAB?
Research without walls
The Crab Lab is a virtual research centre — a space where collaborators, students, and curious minds can connect with our work regardless of geography or institution.
Wherever we are based, that is where the lab is. Our work, collaborations, and community travel with us, anchored by curiosity rather than any single building.
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Active projects always open to student involvement and collaborations.
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Our team and partners follow the lab, not the building
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UG and PG research embedded in real scientific questions
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Field notes, species spotlights, and science for everyone
Currently based: University of Plymouth, UK
This lab moves with its research — wherever we go, so does The Crab Lab
