The Nekton Team

Oliver Steeds OBE is the Chief Executive and Founder of Nekton, and Director of Ocean Census. Oliver leads the management and development of the organisation and field operations. Formerly he was a critically acclaimed broadcast journalist with ABC, NBC, Channel 4, Discovery Channels and others. He is co-founder of Encounter EDU including the Ocean’s Academy.

Alex is responsible for Nekton’s financial and operational management. After starting her career in practice she soon developed a taste for business and commerce and now has thirty years of finance experience spanning a wide variety of commercial organizations and industries, including advertising, publishing, retail, design, architecture and more recently capital delivery in the UK water industry and construction engineering.

Tara is responsible for the day to day finance and administration. She assists the Head of Finance and Central Operations with all financial matters. She has over twenty years of finance experience in various organisations and insustries including construction and education. Tara is an Open Water Qualified diver and is interested in developing her ability to explore and help protect our ocea. She enjoys a variety of extra curricular activities including dance and music.

Sheena Talma is a marine scientist from Seychelles with a keen interest in learning more about how we use the ocean and the implications of overfishing marine pollution and climate change in that relationship. Sheena holds a post-graduate degree in fisheries and ichthyology. Prior to this she worked for the Ministry of Environment Energy and Climate Change in Seychelles working towards environmental sustainability.

Lucy Woodall is an Associate Professor in Conservation Biology and Policy at the University of Exeter. She is a marine biologist with a passion for sharing the delights and importance of the aquatic world with global citizens. While her work broadly focuses on understanding the processes that drive biodiversity in the ocean, she is especially interested in the impacts of human activities on threatened species and remote ecosystems. Lucy is featured as one of Inverse’s FUTURE 50, profiling people who will shape the coming decade, as she regularly provides expert opinion on seahorses, marine conservation, ocean pollution and sustainable marine management. Lucy is a co-founder of the Heritage Marine Foundation.

Verity Nye is a marine ecologist who has joined field expeditions in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean. Notably, Verity undertook a pioneering mission in a deep-diving submersible to volcanic vents situated at a staggering depth of 2.3 km in the Caribbean. Verity’s expertise has informed the UN International Seabed Authority, and she boasts a rich background in marine management within England.

Paris’ research portfolio includes biodiversity assessments of ultra-deep underwater mountains, plastic pollution in the Thames Estuary and conservation of endangered fish. Since 2017, his research work with Nekton has focused on the biodiversity, connectivity, and conservation of tropical deep reef ecosystems, working with Nekton to explore and characterise mesophotic reefs in Bermuda, and the broader Indian Ocean region, including Comoros, Seychelles and Maldives. To accomplish that he leads the collection and processing of large marine imagery datasets.

Nuria is a marine biologist with an interest in the different organisms that form zooplankton communities around the world. She has worked with samples from the Iberian Peninsula, the Gullmarsfjorden on the west coast of Sweden, the Seychelles and the Maldives. She was also co-lead for the assessment of the presence of microplastics in the Weddell Sea with an international and multi-disciplinary team. In addition to this, Nuria curates and manages the samples collected on Nekton’s expeditions.

Nina de Villiers is a marine biologist from South Africa with a passion for discovery, conservation and science communication. She holds a Masters in marine biology which focused on the impact artificial structures had on fish and benthic invertebrate communities. Prior to this she was a research assistant investigating density and distribution of two endangered syngnathid species as well as a number of estuarine ecological studies. She is a keen explorer of rock shores and loves to find marine species. She is a qualified Class IV Commercial diver and loves to share the marine environment with others through underwater photography.

Joe supports the delivery of our fieldwork, conducted in partnership with a range of organisations worldwide. Previously a Project Manager with expertise in biodiversity monitoring and behavioural ecology, employing telemetry and acoustics, Joe has experience in data collection from remote areas across the globe, from the polar regions to the tropics.

Caroline supports all aspects of expeditions around the global in conjunction with partners and other organisations. Previously she was the projects manager with the EDGE programme at ZSL, and before this conducted various research projects within Africa including the effectiveness of volunteer conservation. Caroline is also an international triathlete representing GBR in the European and World Championships.

Kira Coley leads the strategic implementation of external communications, social media, outreach and events. Previously Head of Communications at Seabed 2030, Kira has worked as Senior Editor for a leading ocean science publication, lecturer in science communication at the University of Portsmouth, and strategic advisor for ocean initiatives including the United Nations Ocean Decade. In 2022, she was shortlisted for ABSW Editor of the Year and nominated for the Inspirational Women of Portsmouth award.

Jack is a marine science graduate who spent seven years navigating the world’s oceans aboard private expedition yachts, in this time sailing over 170,000 nautical miles and participating in key scientific expeditions. Before joining the Nekton Mission, Jack refined his writing skills as a magazine editor in London, where he focused on investigating sustainability in the private yachting industry and exploring the potential of luxury yachts to contribute to marine research. Beyond his professional pursuits, Jack is an avid marathon runner and hiker who loves discussing movies and books during downtime on expeditions.

Paul is producing content across our expeditions and workshops for news and social media channels. Coming from a 10 year career in television, Paul has produced and directed natural history, scientific and other factual documentaries for broadcasters including National Geographic, Netflix and the BBC and has been part of numerous expeditions worldwide. Paul is a HSE and rebreather diver and has a masters in Oceanography.

Corinne manages social media for Ocean Census, communicating our mission and sharing news and updates across platforms including Facebook, Instagram and X. She is passionate about sharing positive environmental stories with a wide online audience, having previously managed communications for river restoration project ‘Unlocking the Severn’ and delivered social media campaigns as Social Media Executive for Canal & River Trust. Corinne is a keen diver and PADI Assistant Instructor, and her other interests include dance, theatre and fitness.

Maya de Paz supports all internal and external communications, and gets involved in various aspects including news, social media, events, web design, content creation, and marketing. She previously worked as Marketing Executive and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Geography in 2021. With a strong background in communications and social media management, Maya is committed to driving positive change through impactful communication strategies.

Arran is across all media management for Ocean Census, assisting with organising media assets from our past expeditions and events, as well as putting together edits for social media & upcoming workshops. With a background in conservation biology and science communication, Arran has a passion for finding engaging stories. He has previously worked as a researcher on shows for Netflix and the BBC, and has combined his creative storytelling and animation skills to produce engaging films centred around our oceans.