Dr Sophie Clayton is a Principal Investigator in Marine Biogeochemistry at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre. Her research is broadly focused on better understanding how dynamic physical features in the ocean (eddies, fronts, boundary currents) interact with chemical and biological processes to shape phytoplankton communities and modulate vertical and lateral carbon fluxes. She has worked with numerical models to understand the balance of physical circulation and ecological processes in creating hotspots of phytoplankton biodiversity in boundary current regions, as well as collecting data in the field to validate these model predictions. This work has led her to lead working groups whose goals are to develop best practices for biogeochemical sensors and phytoplankton imaging instruments, and to collaborate with engineers to develop new sampling systems to support the expansion of routine biological sampling at sea.