Marine and coastal research

Researchers at the Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology study the oceans, the largest ecosystems on earth.

We rely on the oceans for food, recreation and the oxygen in every fourth breath we take. The oceans were the cradle for life on Earth and today support an incredible array of habitats from shallow tropical reefs to the vast expanses of the deep sea.

No one knows how many species live in the sea but there are more types of animals in the oceans than any other environment on Earth. Understanding this biodiversity needs expertise from classical marine biology to the latest molecular genetics techniques and underwater survey technologies - expertise brought together in Heriot-Watt University's Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology (CMBB).

Scientific expertise from the CMBB regularly informs conservation policy development in Scotland and further afield, through the creation of Marine Protected Areas.

Key information

Mark Hartl