Expertise is available in marine, terrestrial and freshwater biology and ecology, fisheries and aquaculture, animal health and disease, marine mammalogy, animal behaviour, evolutionary ecology, ornithology and water resource management. Details of staff members engaged in different areas of zoology/ecology research are outlined below.

Staff members serve on boards and committees of state agencies and statutory bodies, e.g. Marine Institute, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Heritage Council, Fota Wildlife Park and at an international level on a variety of professional and scientific societies and inter-governmental agencies, e.g. VP for the British Trust for Ornithology, Society of Marine Mammalogy, IUCN, UN water, International Whaling Commission, European Cetacean Society and an International Advisory Board at the University of Bordeaux.

There is close collaboration with industry particularly through the AFDC and examples of this has been work with industry (wind turbine impacts) and government agencies for hen harrier research, the aquaculture industry on improved shrimp and Tilapia strains, the European Mollusc producers Association on enhanced EU production of shellfish, work with a number of industry partners on several EU projects on bivalve health and disease and a joint patent for sea urchin on-growing cage (UPS) led to trials in Chile and US (Maine) and formation of an Irish Company (Gourmet Marine).