Team

Isla grew up with the icy waters of the North Sea as her playground and spent a happy childhood surfing, wild swimming and poking around rock pools. Those early years sparked a lifelong fascination with the underwater world and she has lived by the ocean ever since, swapping the rugged coastlines of northern England for the vibrant wilderness of the Hebrides on Scotland’s west coast. Keen to learn as much as possible about life beneath the waves, Isla studied marine science at the University of Aberdeen and gained a Master’s degree studying the habitat use of minke whales in Scottish waters. It was during this time that she learned to scuba dive, which opened up a whole new world of ocean exploration. She then went on to complete a PhD, which focused less on the marine life and more on the animals impacting it: humans. She is now an expert in conservation conflicts, environmental governance and conservation social science and has advised Scottish and UK government and international conservation bodies, including WWF and the IUCN.

Isla discovered her passion for science communication as an undergraduate while working for a local aquarium, where she gave talks to the public about the sharks and rays under her care. She later went on to work for the BBC as a researcher and producer and wrote for outlets such as BBC Wildlife and The Naked Scientists. In 2019 she took a break from academia to work as a guide for Basking Shark Scotland, a job that involved swimming with the second-largest species of shark in the world, collecting data and showcasing the sharks and their habitat to the public. During lockdown she gave several online talks sharing her passion and enthusiasm for basking sharks, which led to a job in science communication with the Save Our Seas Foundation. Isla now considers herself to have the best job in the world: talking about sharks and shark science with the people who know them best and promoting how awesome these animals really are.