Alan has been a UK Delegate at the IOC-UNESCO since 2015 and became the Alternate Head in 2017. In this role he engages with the UK Government, the UK marine science community and the UK National Commission for UNESCO. As the point person for engaging with the IOC Secretariat Alan promotes UK marine science expertise and capabilities, sharing UK best practice in contributing to global initiatives to sustainably manage the worlds ocean.
With well over twenty years’ experience in marine scientific research, he is a keen advocate of applying scientific evidence to the process of policy development. Throughout his career Alan has focussed on either applying policy, in particular Parts of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) or influencing its drafting at national and international levels.
Alan is an advocate for collaborating with international partners, in particular at the IOC-UNESCO, which is a key forum for bringing together an international community of marine science champions to develop global marine programmes that stimulate the science we need for the future we want.