The lab is headed by Professor Michelle Portman and studies policy questions related to and influencing the interface of land and sea. Emphases of research projects are the well-being of ecological systems (including humans within them) that make up the natural world.  Questions of stewardship and environmental protection are at the core of research undertaken by group members, often combining mixed research methods and spatial analysis. Projects include research on coastal erosion, waterways' litter, water sensitive planning, flooding, green-blue (marine) infrastructure, marine spatial planning, marine protected areas, coastal natural and cultural heritage, and stormwater management policies affecting marine and coastal environments.