Dr Samantha Garrard is a senior research scientist in the Sea and Society group based at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Her work focuses on producing policy-relevant science, understanding the impact of anthropogenic and climate change stressors on marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. She has worked on highly productive marine systems around the globe, with her current projects spanning South America, SE Asia, and the North Atlantic. Sam gained degrees in marine biology and aquatic resource management before completing a PhD based at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (affiliated with the Open University) in Ischia, Italy, where she studied the effect of ocean acidification on plant-animal interactions in a Posidonia oceanica system, using CO2 vents as a natural laboratory. She has since worked as an ecologist and ecotoxicologist, before specialising as a marine ecosystem services researcher, bridging the gap between the environmental and social sciences.