Hello,
I’m Ari!
About Me
I’m a marine sensory biologist interested in how animals gather, process, and use information to navigate uncertain, noisy, and rapidly changing environments. My work sits at the intersection of sensory biology, morphology, behaviour, physiology, and the messy beauty of ecological reality. I’m fascinated by how tiny structures—antennae and microscopic hairs like sensilla—and sensory processes shape information acquisition, decision-making, and biological performance, ultimately influencing how animals cope with ecological change.
My research focuses largely on crustaceans and other marine invertebrates, which provide powerful—and often overlooked—windows into how evolution shapes sensing and behaviour. I combine imaging (including SEM), behavioural experiments, physiological measures, and modelling to understand the pathways from sensory architecture to real-world ecological outcomes.
My Research Identity
My emerging research programme centres on information ecology: the idea that information availability, quality, and structure fundamentally influence how animals behave and thrive. I study how organisms acquire sensory information, how they filter and interpret it, and how environmental change alters these processes.
By linking morphology, physiology, behaviour, and ecological context, my work aims to reveal the mechanisms that underlie resilience—and vulnerability—in today’s rapidly shifting ecosystems.
I founded The Crab Lab as a space to explore these ideas and to create opportunities for students to participate in my research. Through this platform, I develop new methods, advise student projects, and build collaborative, curiosity-driven research environments.
Mentoring & Teaching
Mentoring and teaching are central to my identity as a scientist. I work closely with undergraduate researchers, helping them develop skills in sensory biology, behaviour, morphology, experimental design, and data analysis.
I believe scientific confidence grows through hands-on exploration, creativity, and supportive guidance. The Crab Lab serves as my training ground for nurturing these values, and many of the students I’ve mentored have gone on to Honours, postgraduate research, or careers in science.
Photography & Visual Storytelling
Photography is woven through my scientific life. It’s how I slow down, pay attention, and document the small worlds—intertidal spaces, crustaceans, textures, microhabitats—that inspire my research.
I see photography as an extension of scientific observation: a way of noticing detail, capturing curiosity, and sharing the beauty and complexity of the natural world.
Beyond the Lab
When I’m not working on research or mentoring students, you’ll probably find me at a tide pool, on a windswept coast, or looking for the next creature that will side-eye me through my macro lens. I’m driven by curiosity, creativity, and a deep love for the living systems that shape our planet.
I’ve always been drawn to the small worlds most people walk past, the quiet details that whisper of bigger stories.
At heart, I’m driven by curiosity, creativity, and a deep appreciation for the strange and beautiful ways life exists in this world.
Science and photography help me explore those details and ask deeper questions about how the world works.
Current Position
PhD Researcher in Marine and Sensory Biology
University of Plymouth
Founder, The Crab Lab
Science Communicator & Photographer
