Dr Thomas Linley is a Curator of Fishes at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, moving after falling in love with New Zealand and the museum collection during his research into the Kermadec Trench.
Thom specialises in deep-sea demersal (living close to the bottom) fishes from 4000 m depth and deeper. He is particularly interested in their ecology and distribution; how they live down there, and why they are found in some places and not others. He has an interest in developing the technology that allows deep-sea studies and ways it could be smarter and less costly. His desk is often covered in cables and the guts of electronics.
Thom likes to explore different ways of communicating science to reach as many people as possible. He frequently gives public talks and created and co-hosts The Deep-Sea Podcast, which offers a fun and accurate portrayal of the deep sea.
He studied in the UK at Aberystwyth, Bangor and Aberdeen Universities and has industry experience in marine survey and environmental monitoring. Thom has over 800 days of seagoing experience but still gets seasick.
Cruises:
