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What motivated you to engage the public with your work?

A love of, and fascination for, science that fills me with wonder and can be roused in everyone. I also believe as a UK-funded scientist we owe it to the taxpayer to deliver our science to the public in whatever way is most readily absorbed and digested. Increased public scientific literacy will add to our futures as policies are developed and politicians respond to public pressure. This is the best mechanism for a positive, sustainable, naturally diverse future. Oh, and it is great fun and hugely rewarding at many levels.

Describe the public engagement activity you have done.

I have given several public lectures and led debates, including "Dating and Discos on Coral Reefs" at the Edinburgh Filmhouse and "Are the Oceans Doomed?" at several Café Scientifique events. I have twice been a secondary school Researcher in Residence, and have developed with my brother (a primary school deputy-head) a Biodiversity Week programme that brings Universities and primary schools together. I was the 2001 Daily Telegraph Science Writer, and have written several articles for magazines on ecology and animal behaviour.

What are your top three tips for other researchers?

1.  Don't be scared! Science is amazing and we all have that sense of awe. You will quickly realise that everyone is excited, that your contribution is greatly appreciated, and your interaction brings you and your participants real value.

2.  Research the event, the venue, and your audience. I once turned up for a talk on sexual strategies in coral reef fish with lots of wonderful video clips to find there was no screen, so had to get members of the audience to act out various bizarre mating rituals!

3.  Be clear in your head what the main message or key points are of your event. That way you can go with the flow and respond and adapt to your audience, but still make sure you deliver exactly what you had planned.

What are your top three resources to support your engagement work?

1. NERC Communicating Science to the Public course

2. University of Bristol Centre for Public Engagement

3. My friends and peers - practice is everything

What would you say to encourage another researcher to engage with the public?

It is totally rewarding, essential for our collective future, and amazing fun.