Biography

Luke graduated from the University of Aberdeen/Scottish Agricultural College in 2000 with a Bachelor of Technology (Honours) Degree in Aquaculture. Following a year working as a Marine Hatchery Technician, he went on to complete an MSc in Mariculture Science and Technology through the University of the Highlands and Islands. His working career began in an unlikely place, University of Cambridge UK, where he was employed as a senior research technician within the Comparative Genomics Department.

He moved to Ireland in 2004 where he worked as a research assistant before taking up his current role as a Senior Technical Officer in 2005.

Research Interests

Luke has a broad range of research interests, mainly focused on Aquaculture and Marine Biology. His recent research studies have employed the use of biotelemetry to investigate animal migration patterns and strategies. His avian interests have led him to be heavily involved in collaboration with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) in the UK working on an ongoing Woodcock satellite tagging study. To date, this study has yielded amazing data showing the migration routes of Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) wintering in the British and Irish Isles.

Publications

1. Thomas K. Doyle, Ashley Bennison, Mark Jessopp, Damien Haberlin, Luke A. Harman. 2015.  A dawn peak in the occurrence of ‘knifing behaviour’ in blue sharks. Animal Biotelemetry; 3 (1).
2. John Davenport, Sheila McCullough, Robert W. Thomas, Luke Harman, Rob McAllen. 2015. Nassariid whelks hitch-hiking on Cancer pagurus: phoresis, commensalism or fouling? Marine Biodiversity Records 8: e146 doi:10.1017/S1755267215001232.
3. Timothy Sullivan, Ciara Byrne, Luke Harman, John Davenport, Rob McAllen, Fiona Regan. 2014. Determination of spatial and temporal variability of pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations in a seasonally hypoxic semi-enclosed marine basin using continuous monitoring. Analytical Methods 6: 5489-5497.
4. Stefanie Broszeit, John Davenport, Karl Bredendieck, Luke Harman, Rob McAllen. 2013. Seasonal oxygen-driven migration of mobile benthic fauna affected by natural water column stratification. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 125: 36-42.
5. Baxter EJ, Sturt MM, Ruane NM, Doyle TK, McAllen R, Luke Harman, Hamish D. Rodger. 2011. Gill Damage to Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Caused by the Common Jellyfish (Aureliaaurita) under Experimental Challenge. PLoS ONE 6(4): e18529.

Professional Activity

• Woodcock tagging satellite project: www.woodcockwatch.com
• Blue Shark telemetry research has been featured in national newspapers as well as featuring on RTE1’s popular wildlife programme “Living the Wildlife” Series 6.
• Annual touch-tank displays at Lough Hyne Marine Reserve during Irish Heritage week.
• Woodcock Tagging Satellite Project
• RTE 1 ‘Living the Wildlife’