Chris specialises in crustaceans and particularly in the taxonomy of caridean shrimps. He has produced several taxonomic papers on shrimps describing new species and genera as well as producing regional synopses and identification guides. Also has a keen interest in non-native species and has published several papers on the topic.

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Chris completed a PhD focused on the systematics and taxonomy of the shrimp genus Palaemon. The objective was to investigate the utility of the existing morphological characters used in their identification, to propose new specific and generic level characters and investigate relationships with other genera of the Palaemonidae. 

Two new species and a new genus were described, multiple colonisations of freshwater habitats by the genus were demonstrated, the paraphyly of the genus was proven and investigations were conducted into the world-wide invader Palaemon macrodactylus and its interactions with native species.  A new classification scheme for caridean mandibles was developed based on their ultrastructure and the phylogenetic significance of this was discussed.