Laura joined HiDef in August 2024 to lead Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Habitats Regulations Appraisals (HRAs) for marine mammals, underwater noise, and seabirds.
She has a strong background in marine mammal ecology and risk mitigation, as well as survey design, data analysis, and reporting for the offshore wind sector. Prior to joining HiDef, Laura worked at Ocean Science Consulting Limited for six years, beginning in an R&D role before progressing to Head of Projects, where she was 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. During her MRes and PhD at the University of Aberdeen, Laura analysed data from echolocation-click detectors (C-PODs), as well as HiDef digital aerial video footage to investigate the distribution of harbour porpoise along the east coast of Scotland.