My research focuses on community and population ecology, with a particular emphasis on the use of molecular tools to understand and safeguard aquatic biodiversity. Over the past eight years, I have contributed to a range of interdisciplinary projects that integrate ecological theory with molecular approaches. My work has included investigating hybridisation events between invasive and endemic species, developing SNP markers to study speciation processes in fish, and reconstructing ancient planktonic communities using sedimentary DNA.

I have specialised in marine plankton ecology, particularly within temperate coastal systems. My technical expertise includes integrative taxonomic analyses combining DNA- and morphology-based approaches, high-throughput sequencing metabarcoding, DNA barcoding, and microsatellite analyses. I also have extensive fieldwork experience across diverse marine environments, including Tanzania, the Galápagos Islands, and the Mediterranean Sea.

I joined the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) as a postdoctoral researcher on the Darwin Plus project Fish Bycatch in the Antarctic Krill Fishery, which I have now successfully completed. This work focused on addressing species identification uncertainties in fish bycatch, with the aim of developing improved identification tools for species unintentionally captured by the krill fishery. I am currently involved in research on penguin population censuses and toothfish fishery management, further extending my interests in applied ecology, conservation, and evidence-based management in polar ecosystems.

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

2026

Abreu, José ORCID record for Abreu, José. Hollyman, Philip R. ORCID record for Hollyman, Philip R.. Freer, Jennifer J. ORCID record for Freer, Jennifer J.. Romero Martínez, M.L. ORCID record for Romero Martínez, M.L.. Queiros, José P. ORCID record for Queiros, José P.. Jones, Timothy ORCID record for Jones, Timothy. Phillips, Richard A. ORCID record for Phillips, Richard A.. Xavier, José C. ORCID record for Xavier, José C.. Collins, Martin A. ORCID record for Collins, Martin A.. (2026) Distribution and ecology of the four Macrourus species by‐caught in the longline fishery at South Georgia, Southern Ocean.

Romero Martinez, María Lorena ORCID record for Romero Martinez, María Lorena. Reid, William D.K. Collins, Martin A. ORCID record for Collins, Martin A.. Treviño Cuellar, Katia L. Goodall-Copestake, William P. Clark, James M. Viney, Benedic. Gregory, Susan. Owen, Kate. Hollyman, Philip ORCID record for Hollyman, Philip. (2026) What’s Inside the Net? Insights into Fish Bycatch Diversity in the Antarctic Krill Fishery..

2025

Pelusi, A. Romero Martinez, Maria Lorena ORCID record for Romero Martinez, Maria Lorena. Mule, A. Scalco, E. Barrenechea Angeles, I. Piredda, R. Kooistra, W.H.C.F. Montresor, M. Sarno, D. (2025) Diatom distribution and long-term survival in a heavily polluted sediment core from the Bay of Bagnoli (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy).

• Romero Martinez, M., Hollyman, P., & Collins, M. (2025). Fish bycatch diversity within the Antarctic krill fishery, CCAMLR sub-areas 48.1 to 48.3, 2019-2024 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/9c459656-5fe4-44f7-860f-da287111016c

4. Fish by-catch in the Antarctic krill fishery

   This project is improving our understanding of fish bycatch in the Antarctic krill fishery, to help support better management and conservation.

   Read more of: Fish by-catch in the Antarctic krill fishery

   

• Marine Ecologist, Ecosystems team
• Researcher, Fisheries Society of the British Isles
• Researcher, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography