After being stung by a bluebottle while surfing in boardies at age ten, Blair was given his first wetsuit. Many wetsuits later, he found himself completing a marine science degree (BSc. Hons) and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) focused on sensory biology at the University of Melbourne. He's been involved with marine and freshwater sciences for ten years and was lured to the Melbourne Museum by an irresistible opportunity to document new species of brittle stars from the deep sea.
Blair has broad zoological research interests and has assisted with projects herding kangaroos, sucking sperm from ascidians, and tracking crayfish as they explore underwater bubblewrap. He was a lead researcher on the discovery project that revealed a new electrical sense in freshwater crayfish and wrote computer programs to determine whether or not crayfish are programmed like robots.
Blair has managed laboratory and aquarium operations to support researchers. He has also provided expert opinion to international science journals, including reviews for Current Biology, Journal of Experimental Biology and Robotica.
Today, with the help of apps and the like, Blair uses his research expertise to find educational and entertaining ways to communicate to various audiences the wonders of our marine environment... and pictures of pigeons.