Research Scientist, Presenter, Conservationist - A specialist in animal behaviour and passionate science communicator, Leigh’s expertise and 25+ year career have resulted in opportunities to showcase both the majesty and fragility of many of our planet’s habitats. Leigh’s research features in the BBC’s Expedition Killer Whale, BBC’s Frozen Planet II, National Geographic’s Emmy award winning Animals Up Close and Epic Adventures.

As an established research biologist, who has adapted across academic, fieldwork and broadcast platforms, Leigh’s long-standing expertise in zoology and behavioural ecology have resulted in international collaborations with a variety of universities, government agencies, production houses and NGO’s, studying some of the world’s most unusual and cryptic marine mammal species. Most notably, Ziphiid beaked whales, Antarctica’s killer whales and southern hemisphere blue and fin whales.

Leigh studied Zoology (Marine Biology and Fisheries Studies) at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland as an undergraduate, leading to an MRes in Environmental Biology and PhD (Behavioural Adaptations of Beaked Whales) from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He is a Fellow of The Linnean Society of London, Visiting Fellow at the University of Southampton and member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, and the European Cetacean Society.

As a conservationist, Leigh has campaigned and played a lead role in successfully instigating Antarctica’s first maritime ‘Acoustic Awareness Zone’ in partnership with the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). An initiative designed to raise awareness of and help conserve, critical habitat for ‘pack ice’ killer whales.

He supports charities in the UK and abroad, including the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, South Georgia Heritage Trust, Sussex Dolphin Project (for which he is an ambassador), Friends of the Environment and the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (where he sits on the board of directors).