[4] He has worked on a wide range of environment-related topics, including the transport of chemical tracers in the atmospheric boundary layer[5] and in the deep ocean,[6] the management of marine fish stocks,[7] and the dynamics of the Earth system.
[12] During his time at Cambridge, Shepherd also competed for Pembroke College on the British quiz show University Challenge as part of a team that included the Australian essayist, Clive James.
During this period, Shepherd also served in a succession of International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) working groups and advisory committees on fisheries matters.
[25] The creation of this centre brought together the Natural Environment Research Council's National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science (SOES) into a single, purpose-built facility, located within the dock area of the city.
[26] These have largely centred on fisheries, but a number have concerned off-shore operation of oil and gas infrastructures, in particular technology, decommissioning and regulation.
Shepherd is a current board member of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, formed in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.