Ben is a Research Fellow from the north coast of Ireland. Currently, he works as a Research Fellow on the Marine Plan project. The project, which is funded by the EU Horizon Europe programme, explores the operationalisation of ecosystem-based approaches to MSP across 8 European planning sites. Ben’s work involves examining the institutional, policy and wider governance regimes of each planning site, as well as contributing to other project activities. Previously, Ben worked as a Research Assistant in the LiftWEC project, where he examined the social acceptance of novel and emerging marine renewable energy technologies. Ben has also assisted with the FAIRCoast project and worked as a Research Assistant on the INTERREG project MOSES. His work on MOSES involved developing best practice in port and shipping governance, coastal transition management, marine and coastal planning and stakeholder participation. Ben also completed his PhD at Queen's University Belfast, successfully defended his thesis in 2021. The study investigated the transformative potential of marine citizen science and was funded by the Department for Economy (NI). In addition to research, Ben also carries out teaching duties within Queen's University Belfast, conducting seminars, feedback sessions and lectures with Under-Graduate and Masters students in the Planning Department.