Pete Cotton

Dr. Pete Cotton is an Associate Professor in Ecology at the School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth. His research focuses on animal behavior, marine conservation, and plant-pollinator interactions, with a particular interest in how species adapt to environmental changes. He leads field courses in South Africa and contributes to global sustainability goals through his work on biodiversity preservation.

Dr. Cotton supervises numerous PhD students exploring topics such as hermit crab personality, seascapes connectivity, and climate adaptation mechanisms. His teaching spans marine biology, animal behavior, and ecological field methodologies. He has been involved in major funding programs like ARIES NERC DTP and collaborates internationally on projects in Chile, Malta, and Oman.

His research outputs highlight patterns in ecological networks, the impacts of human activity on marine life, and innovations in education integrity. Notable studies include tracking albatross foraging behaviors and analyzing the role of insularity in plant-hummingbird interactions.

Dr. Cotton’s advisory work includes overseeing student projects on conservation challenges, such as albatross-fishery interactions and gastropod predation strategies. He has also contributed to understanding gender and ethnicity gaps in higher education attainment in the UK.