Currently, Tanya's research primarily focuses on enhancing our understanding of habitats in Shetland and beyond. Her work combines both hands-on and analytical approaches, conducting marine surveys and gathering firsthand data from the marine environment to provide a holistic view of habitat health. Tanya uses marine surveys and distribution modelling to contribute to sustainable marine management, including the creation of a dominant marine biotope map for the Shetland Islands. Tanya’s work also emphasises the importance of high-resolution local data in informing decision-making.

At UHI Shetland, Tanya has developed a document and guiding principles for Guiding Marine Restoration and Enhancement in the Shetland Islands, with a strong focus on community and stakeholder engagement. In addition to her habitat and species distribution modelling work, she is investigating the role of blue carbon habitats within Shetland’s waters.

Prior to joining UHI Shetland, Tanya completed her MSci (Hons) in Marine Vertebrate Zoology at Bangor University, where her research ranged from habitat modelling for Eurasian otters to benthic taxonomy and exploring the climate change impacts on marine ecosystems.