Our Team

Ben joined us here at the National Lobster Hatchery in February 2013. Originally from Manchester, Ben moved to Cornwall to study Marine Aquaculture (FdSc) through Cornwall College, which he completed in 2007.

Ben is now fully focused on helping the team to increase production of lobsters to enhance local stocks and aid the conservation of this very important species.

Chris joined the team as a technician at our new hatchery in Newlyn. A keen surfer and free diver in his spare time, he has previously worked at Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay and completed a degree in Zoology, focussing on marine conservation and the impact of pollution.

Jennie trained and qualified as a primary teacher gaining a BAEd in Music. Whilst raising her two children, she began teaching piano lessons and in her spare time made jewellery to sell at craft fairs and shows. Eventually she retrained in finance and joined the NLH office team in 2019. Jennie continues to teach piano and makes lobster jewellery for the hatchery visitor centre.

Ellen joined our National Lobster Hatchery team in September, ready and raring to go. She started her working life in banking, moving to a variety of other admin roles, with a large focus on customer service. Ellen finds it natural to be around people, making her well equipped to take on the role as Visitor Centre Assistant. In her spare time, she enjoys an active lifestyle, playing golf, walking, cycling and exploring the amazing county of Cornwall.

Sally studied Marine Biology with Oceanography at Southampton University. After graduating, Sally volunteered for 6 months on a rocky shore project in County Cork, Ireland. She then worked at The London Aquarium for several years whilst studying part-time for her MSc in Freshwater and Coastal Sciences alongside raising her two children.

In 2011 Sally and her family moved to Cornwall and opened a restaurant. The following year she started volunteering at the Hatchery, mainly helping with the rearing of the lobsters, but also going to various events to help promote the Hatchery’s work. In 2016 Sally began working on the Lobster Grower Project. In her spare time Sally takes part in The Wildlife Trust’s Shoresearch Surveys and helps to run rockpool rambles for The Friends of Fowey Estuary.

Jake put the knowledge he gained from studying his MSc in Shellfish Biology, Culture and Fisheries at University of Wales, Bangor to good use during his first role the National Lobster Hatchery as a research technician. During his time at the Hatchery (2008 – 2010) he investigated the effects of using ozone to aid in the rearing process of larval and juvenile lobsters. From the NLH, Jake moved to the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR) at University of Wales, Swansea, where he spent 5 years as an aquaculture technician developing culture techniques for many marine species including sea bass, nephrops, herring and lumpsucker, as well as contributing to ocean acidification research and crewing University’s Research Vessel.

In 2016, Jake returned to Cornwall to become the Project Officer for Lobster Grower 2 (LG2), our collaborative mariculture research project. LG2 assessed the technology and improve the scientific knowledge required for the successful mariculture of European lobsters. Jake’s role on LG2 was hugely varied; he was responsible for liaising with project partners to ensure delivery of key objectives, and for compiling management, financial and progress reports, as well as contributing towards data collection in both the field and the lab.

Since LG2 finished in 2019, Jake took on the role as Project Manager for research projects at the NLH. With Dr Carly Daniels, Jake oversees the research activities at the NLH and coordinates the logistical aspects of our research. More recently, Jake has been managing the Euroswac project. Euroswac aims to investigate the use of Sea Water Air Cooling (SWAC) systems as a sustainable application in coastal industries of the English Channel.