Rupert's role within the project is to aid the work of the Steering Group and Working Groups and ultimately to deliver the formal Economic Impact Assessment which must accompany Finding Sanctuary’s network recommendations. He joins us from Atkins, a UK consultancy firm, where he was working as a senior economist involved in a broad spectrum of economic work. In particular Rupert has delivered impact assessments and project appraisals for a range of sectors and activities, with experience gained across the UK and Middle East.

Mitchell joined the project team in April 2011. He has a background in marine science and cartography, and joins us on secondment from the UK Hydrographic Office in Taunton. Mitchell has extensive experience of coastal habitat surveying in the south west, which led to a keen interest in the provision of Marine Protected Areas. Through previous work at the Marine Biological Association, he is an experienced user of ArcGIS and data analysis software to aid marine conservation projects.

Louise Lieberknecht joined Finding Sanctuary in April 2007. With a background in biology and marine science, she has a detailed understanding of the science of MPAs, and of planning processes which centre on stakeholder involvement. Previously, she spent almost four years as a marine ecologist at the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, where she was closely involved with the Irish Sea Pilot project. She is an experienced user of ArcGIS, and decision support software tools which have successfully been used to support participatory MPA planning in California and Australia.

Shaun is an extremely experienced ArcGIS user and cartographer, who has specialised in the use of GIS for nature conservation. Over his career Shaun has applied his expertise with CCW, MOD and the Exe Estuary Partnership. Shaun has a particular expertise in the integration of Access with ArcGIS and in the extension of these software packages using Visual Basic. He was part of the team that developed the South West marine meta-data catalogue for Finding Sanctuary.

Tom is an ArcGIS and data specialist with a background in oceanography and tropical marine ecology. Prior to working with Finding Sanctuary Tom led research projects in Honduras and Cuba while teaching coral reef ecology to University undergraduates.

Alana provides GIS mapping and communications support. With a background in IT and Environmental Biology, Alana worked for two years with non-governmental organisations including the Wildlife Conservation Society and Blue Ventures in both Fiji and Madagascar. She worked closely with stakeholders on MPA projects to monitor reef productivity, encourage reef rotation and develop alternative sources of income for villages with declining fish stocks.

Hannah joined Finding Sanctuary in January 2011. Her studies and work experience have provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the UK marine environment and a strong interest in Marine Protected Areas. Previous work as a Personal Assistant has provided her with extensive organisational experience and strong communication, liaising and networking skills.

Dave Murphy first went to sea on a small day trawler working out of Lyme Regis in 1976, beginning a 30 year career as a fisherman. He has worked on trawlers all around Europe, culminating in a 17 year spell aboard the newly built 26 metre Eurocutter Carhelmar as skipper for the Plymouth business, Interfish Ltd. During this time he conducted numerous surveys for CEFAS and sailed aboard their research ship 'Endeavour' as a consultant. He joined Finding Sanctuary in July 2008 to try and build a sustainable future for all those who use the sea.