Martyn is an environmental consultant with 25 years’ experience developing algal-based methods for ecological assessment of freshwaters. He has worked extensively on implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Europe and, recently, started to explore the potential of metabarcoding. He has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed publications and is an editor of Freshwater Benthic Diatoms of Central Europe. He is an Honorary Professor in Geography at Nottingham University and, in addition, has a degree in Fine Art. His blog,  www.microscopesandmonsters.wordpress.com, attempts to explain the world of microscopic algae to non-specialist audiences.