Prof David M. Paterson

University of St. Andrews - MASTS, SOTEAG & SMMR

Professor David Paterson FMBA holds a personal chair in Coastal Ecology at the University of St Andrews and is Executive Director of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS). He also Chairs the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group (SOTEAG). He has 25 years of experience in research on marine systems and held a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at Bristol University before moving to St Andrews. There he established the Sediment Ecology Research Group (SERG) and continued his work on the dynamics and ecology of coastal systems. SERG has an international reputation for innovation and scholarship in marine science and strong national and international funding. Professor Paterson has led many successful interdisciplinary projects (EU and National). Recent research involves biodiversity, ecosystem function, ecosystem services, and global change biology particularly the effects multiple stressors (ocean acidification, temperature, and hypoxia) and is also working on the ecological effects of oil and gas decommissioning and the concept of Marine Net Gain.  

He also advises industry, academic institutions, and Scottish Government and has served as a trustee for several marine organisations. As Champion of the UKRI Sustainable Management UK Marine Resources programme he is promoting inter and trans-disciplinary solutions to the challenges of marine policy development.

Dr. Silvana Birchenough

Associate Scientific Adviser, EnvCR Ltd.

Silvana is a marine ecologist with more than 25 years of experience conducting R&D and advising national and international governments. She has studied the ecological changes resulting from climate change effects and human activities on marine ecosystems in the North Sea, Pacific and Caribbean Sea. Human activities such as dredging, aggregate extraction, offshore windfarms and more recently oil and gas (and direct effects of decommissioning) cause disturbance to seabed communities, therefore her work has been to minimise such effects and promote ocean stewardship. Cumulative effects assessments are also an area of her work with increasing quantities of man-made structures. She chairs the ICES operational groups of Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity (DEI) and the Science, Impact and Publication group (SIGP). Silvana is also an associate editor of the ICES JMS, supporting the mentor-mentee programme for early career scientists.  

Eline van Onselen

The North Sea Foundation and The Rich North Sea Programme - Marine Ecologist

Eline van Onselen (The North Sea Foundation) is a marine ecologist currently working on The Rich North Sea programme. She is part of the pilot projects in offshore wind farms (OWFs), to learn about nature enhancement and test methods and theories for upscaling.

Her work includes both desk studies and practical work, as well as talking about the work on conferences and other events. Her work also includes the Toolbox, the website made for knowledge sharing about nature enhancement within and outside of OWFs.

Dr. Dianne McLean

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) - Director

Dr. Dianne McLean is a senior marine scientist and Research Program Director with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia’s tropical marine research agency. She is a global leader in research that examines the influence of offshore energy infrastructure in marine ecosystems, informing both the decommissioning of oil and gas structures and the sustainable development of an offshore renewable energy industry in Australia. Dr McLean also plays an instrumental role in the development and use of video survey technologies that has aided  conservation and fisheries management for decades. 

Prof John Paterson

School of Law, University of Aberdeen - Professor of Law

John Paterson is Professor of Law at the University of Aberdeen and a founder member of its Centre for Energy Law. He has worked on a number of international research, teaching, training, and consultancy projects in energy law and has published widely on a range of topics in the field. He was recently a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore, teaching International and Comparative Oil and Gas Law. He coordinates Aberdeen’s contribution to the Advanced Master’s in Energy Law under the North Sea Energy Law Partnership (with the Universities of Copenhagen, Groningen and Oslo). 

Recent publications include: Offshore Wind Leasing in the UK, in Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui and Tina Soliman Hunter (eds) Offshore Wind Licensing, Edward Elgar, (forthcoming); Third-party Access to Energy Infrastructure, in Eduardo Pereira, Kim Talus and Reg Fowler (eds), Encyclopaedia of Midstream and Downstream Oil and Gas (2nd Ed) (2023); Energy Law and Energy Transformation, in Fleming et al (eds) A Force of Energy: Essays in Energy Law in Honour of Professor Martha Roggenkamp, University of Groningen Press (2022); (with Thomas Muinzer) The law of climate change and energy in the United Kingdom, in José Francisco García and Lorenzo Mellado Ruiz (eds) Estudios Sobre Cambio Climático y Transición Energética, Marcel Pons, 2022. He co-edits UK Oil and Gas Law: Current Practice and Emerging Trends, the 4th edition of which is currently in preparation.

Dr. Eddy Lenusira Wifa

University of Aberdeen - Senior Lecturer in Energy and Natural Resources

Dr. Eddy Lenusira Wifa graduated from Rivers State University with a Second-Class Upper Degree and was subsequently called to the Nigerian Bar in 2012. He then proceeded to the University of Aberdeen where he completed both a Masters in Oil and Gas law (Distinction) and a PhD in “Offshore Marine Renewable Energy Risk Governance”. As an Energy Law Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, he contributed to teaching a range of both on-campus and distance-learning courses like Petroleum Resource Governance, Energy Law, Oil and Gas Contracting, Oil and Gas Enterprise Management, and Low Carbon Energy Transition (Renewable Energy Law).With various awards to his credit, Eddy Wifa has proven to be an exceptional legal researcher and critical analyst. He is an astute offshore risk governance specialist with far-reaching proficiency in oil and gas law and offshore clean energy. He is also an environmental law activist and an advocate for best global environmental standards and social corporate responsibility in the Nigerian extractive industry. His research interests include, risk governance, petroleum and natural resource governance, regulatory theories in high-major risk industries, decommissioning and clean energy regulation. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and Society of Legal Scholars. He also is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the founder and immediate past-Director of the African Natural Resource and Energy Law Network (ANRELN).

Laura Petrie

Brodies LLP Solicitors - Partner

Laura is a Partner in Brodies Energy team with significant experience providing corporate and commercial advice to energy clients. She is a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators and works closely with Offshore Energy UK (where she served as the Chairperson of the Legal Issues Forum for the period June 2016 – May 2017).

She is the senior tutor for the energy elective on the Legal Diploma at Aberdeen University and has contributed a chapter on transportation and processing to the 3rd edition of Oil and Gas Law: Current Practices and Emerging Trends.

Laura frequently advises operators on a range of exploration and production matters including joint operations, transportation, farm-in/out arrangements, energy transition, general contracting and asset restructuring. She has extensive experience working on transactional work, both on an asset and corporate basis, advising on due diligence preparation or review, SPAs, and allocation of decommissioning liability on acquisition/divestment. She also advises a range of supply chain clients in respect of general provision of goods and services, EPCI contracting, duty holder operation and management agreements and bespoke contracting positions in respect of both oil and gas and energy transition projects.

 “Laura's commercial awareness is unparalleled, she is always providing solutions when situations become complex.” Chambers UK 2026

Dr. Maximilian Ruffert

University of Edinburgh - Reader in Mathematics

First degree: Physics at Ruhr University Bochum, 1988.

PhD from Technical University Munich, research at Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics, 1992.

Post-docs in Tucson, Arizona and Cambridge, UK.

Reader at School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, since 1998.

Dr. Kathy Bradshaw

RSK Environment - Technical Director Marine Team Lead, IPG

Kathy leads the Marine Environment Team at RSK, which was voted as the biggest Environmental consultancy in the UK by Environment Analyst in November 2025 and within the top 10 globally. She holds an MBA from the Strathclyde University Business School, an MSc in Marine Development and Protection from Heriot Watt University and specialised in Marine and Freshwater Biology in her Honours degree from The University of Stirling.  Kathy is a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager with more than 35 years’ experience as an environmental regulator with SEPA, and its predecessors, and as an environmental consultancy director. She is a strategic leader in marine ecology, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and consenting for major infrastructure and offshore renewable developments. She is skilled in leading multi-disciplinary teams, managing multi-million-pound programs, and providing trusted advice to government, developers, and regulators throughout all stages of the marine project lifecycle. Kathy is passionate about sustainable marine development, innovation in marine environmental services, and fostering strong values-driven teams. Her team has delivered Marine environmental services globally, from here in Scotland helping Nova with their Enfait Tidal Energy project in Shetland, supporting the offshore wind sector and major cable projects across the UK, Ireland and France,  to advising on oil and gas decommissioning in Australia. Kathy is an avid supporter of continued professional development across our industry and encourages her growing team to be scientifically robust in their project delivery as well as being commercially astute. Kathy lives in the Scottish Highlands by the beach dividing her time between there are the various RSK offices. Her clients include some of those represented by our delegates today and she promises to stick within the spirit of her NDAs!

Annabel Smith-Moorhouse

Hereema Marine Contractors - Engineer Sustainability Marine Biodiversity

Annabel studied Marine Biology and Oceanography at the University of Plymouth, followed by a Masters in Marine Biology at the University of Groningen. She currently works at Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) based in The Netherlands as an underwater noise engineer for offshore wind projects. In this role, she has worked on several offshore wind installation projects in the UK, US, Germany and The Netherlands, which has provided her with a strong understanding of worldwide offshore wind regulations related to underwater noise and their implementation in the field. Annabel’s work involves going offshore to monitor and assess noise levels in real-time, as well as overseeing noise mitigation and marine mammal monitoring operations. This hands-on experience has given valuable insight into the practical applications of noise mitigation systems and the operational challenges that arise with the different systems.

Dr. Dickon Howell

Howell Consulting - Founder & CEO & University of Newcastle

Dickon Howell is Founder and CEO of Howell Marine Consulting, specialising in marine policy, evidence and research impact. His team leads major programmes including INSITE, ValMAS, ECOWind and ECOFlow, working across government, industry and regulators to turn marine science into actionable, proportionate decisions for offshore energy and environmental management.

Alan Shand

Petrogas E&P Netherlands - B.V. Manager of Projects

Alan is an E&P professional with a proven record in delivering major capital projects in many countries. Now responsible for all Petrogas major capital project in Europe including the Decommissioning of six oil fields, CCS and multiple subsea tiebacks spread over three countries. Focused on forming highly skilled teams that are empowered to take decisions and realize projects faster and more cost effectively.