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Dr Alec Moore, lecturer in marine top predator conservation at 69��ý’s School of Ocean Sciences, has been awarded funding through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) new cross research council responsive mode (CRCRM) pilot scheme. Dr Moore’s project is one of 36 projects sharing £32.4 million from the first round of the scheme, which is designed to support groundbreaking interdisciplinary research.

The project, led by Dr Moore, with co-investigators Jan-Geert Hiddink, Professor in Marine Biology and Dr Shaun Evans, Director of the Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates, will integrate historical accounts with modern marine science to inform sustainable marine ecosystem management. Focusing on the Atlantic herring, a key species in the northeast Atlantic ecosystem that suffered a population collapse in the mid-20th century, the project aims to use historical data to identify important herring spawning areas and understand long-term trends in spawning activity related to climate changes.

The research will analyse historical sources mostly from the 17th to early 20th centuries, including the writings of early modern naturalists and travellers, newspaper archives, government inquiries, and the memories of living fishers.

Dr Moore said, "This interdisciplinary approach will help us gain insights into historical marine environments and apply that knowledge to contemporary ecosystem management."

The CRCRM pilot scheme, introduced by UKRI, supports new and innovative interdisciplinary research that challenges conventional academic boundaries. By encouraging transformative approaches and methods, the scheme aims to enable research that could lead to the creation of new disciplines or significant advances in existing fields. The second round of CRCRM funding, with £32.5 million available, was also launched this month to support further interdisciplinary research projects.

This builds on previous funding the University received in 2021 from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Discipline Hopping for Environmental Solutions fund, which encouraged academics to explore cross-disciplinary collaboration. One such project funded, led by Alec and Shaun, united environmental scientists and historians from the School of Ocean Sciences and the School of History, Law, and Social Sciences (SHiLSS). Through workshops and archival visits, experts from SHiLSS trained scientists to use historical data to address environmental challenges. This collaboration laid the groundwork for securing Alec’s current UKRI-funded project, highlighting the value of integrating diverse fields of expertise.

Dr Saskia Pagella, Head of 69��ý’s Integrated Research and Impact Support Service, said, “These small funding pots leading to this larger grant has realised NERC’s aim with the discipline-hopping funding to foster the best interdisciplinary talent and create leaders with the foresight and ability to address interdisciplinary challenges.”