Another early start for the crab team on Christmas Island today - sampling ‘little nipper’ crabs at the blowholes, found our first berried (carrying eggs) female red crabs, and finished with a beach clean 🦀🦀🦀 Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 @realdocspicer MBERC University of Plymouth @plymouthbiol

Team crab did their good dead of the day by doing a litter pick of Greta beach after hunting for berried red crabs. The talented Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 filmed our efforts 🦀 @realdocspicer MBERC University of Plymouth @plymouthbiol

Today team crab became team amphipod searching for specimens to be cross referenced with those previously collected from Christmas Island’s Dolly beach 🦐 @realdocspicer Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 University of Plymouth MBERC @plymouthbiol

Today our hunt for Christmas Island red crab berried females was successful and we have them incubating at the lab ready for (fingers crossed) imaging of their developing eggs 🦀🦀🦀 @realdocspicer Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 University of Plymouth @plymouthbiol MBERC EmbryoPhenomics

Today team crab headed to the dales - a very special place on Christmas Island, and another area where blue crabs are found. We also took our first images of developing in-egg red crab embryos🦀 @realdocspicer EmbryoPhenomics Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 University of Plymouth @plymouthbiol MBERC

Today is the beginning of the predicted spawning period for the Christmas Island red crabs so team crab were on the shore at 04:15 - no spawning yet but lots of dipping activity and a stunning sunrise 🦀 @realdocspicer Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 MBERC University of Plymouth @plymouthbiol

Follow my instagram for all the details on my latest trip to Christmas Island with Lucy Turner and @realdocspicer as well as Charlotte and Linn, fellow Plymouth Alumni. instagram.com/reel/C0eZMhbPO…

At the end of our Christmas Island expedition I want to pay tribute to the curiosity, dedication, and resilience of the three RAs: Kat, Linn & Charlotte who joined us - all University of PlymouthAlum - thank you! 🦀 @realdocspicer Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 @PlymUni MBERC @plymouthbiol

Life outtakes while writing my thesis. Lil outdoor breaks, stroking a dog and lil treats keeps the mind fresh. So happy to be finishing this journey and grateful to everyone involved instagram.com/reel/C2VrllYoI…

Delighted to announce I’ve joined University of Hull as a PDRA looking into the physiological effects of offshore wind vibrations on benthic marine invertebrates as part of the ECOWind BOWIE project. Working with Krysia Mazik and Jordan Burgess 🔊🌊 instagram.com/reel/C4Q3C6wL0…

Heartiest congratulations to Dr Daniel Osmond who today passed his viva for his excellent ExeterEvo doctoral research on adaptation of brown trout to metal pollution. And bake-off credentials may be lost, but my cakes fortunately tasted less terrifying than they looked! #PhDone

Hugest congratulations to the brilliant and newly Doctored Katharine A. Clayton 🦐 who today passed her PhD viva on the physiology and calcification of aquaculture shrimp. Richly deserved for a very hard working and lovely colleague who we miss already. 👩‍🎓🦐📖🔖 #PhDone #TheShrimpfluencer

I’ve officially been awarded my PhD! Thanks to everyone involved, back for graduation in December! ⁦University of Exeter⁩ ⁦Sustainable Aquaculture Futures⁩ linkedin.com/posts/katharin…

Today I presented some of the work we’ve been doing as part of the BOWIE project ECOWind, highlighting the impacts of substrate-borne vibrations on marine invertebrate species 🦞🦀. It was great to share this experience with some other colleagues from University of Hull too!

Graduation photos! On Saturday I graduated from the University of Exeter with a PhD in Biological Sciences. In addition to my PhD I was also awarded a Dean’s Commendation Award for PGR Academic Citizenship. University of Exeter Faculty of Health & Life Sci University of Exeter Doctoral College University of Exeter

Paper from Christmas Island fieldwork is OUT ! Salinity does not affect late-stage in-egg embryonic, or immediate post-hatch development in an ecologically important land crab species journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/do…

Last night I gave a Pint of Science UK talk in Hull. There are two more days of this festival with events across the country (and the world). I urge you all to take a look and consider supporting your local scientists! #pint25