[10] The award recognised his research that "Uses satellite tracking to reveal the movements and patterns of habitat use by marine animals and highlights the threats of climate change for sea turtles".

In 1990 he conducted one of the first satellite tracking studies of sea turtles[11] and subsequently used this approach to assess their navigational abilities,[1][12] including at-sea experiments,[13] and to reveal how ocean currents affect movements and so influence migration patterns.

[14] Leading international review teams he has shown how satellite tracking can be widely used, across diverse animal taxa, to understand movement patterns and drive successful conservation outcomes for endangered species.

[15][16] His research has developed methods to assess how climate warming is affecting the temperature-dependent sex ratios of sea turtle hatchlings and the likely impacts of population feminisation.

[2][17] Recent research also shows how the long-distance movements of sea turtles can take them outside of even the largest marine reserves and into ocean areas with no protection from poaching or fishing gear entanglements,[18] raising conservation concerns.