Marine biology

"I was lucky enough to receive an International Experience Bursary to help fund my travel to Tanzania where, as a Research Officer, I led lectures on a variety of topics such as seagrass and mangrove ecology, coral reef fish and invertebrate ID, turtle conservation and butterfly biology. I got to take part in an array of other experiences including: turtle hatching observation with co-partner Sea Sense; a whale watching excursion; sighting hippos on the North of the Island; bird watching walks with a local guide; and beach cleans with the local community."

"My postgraduate degree included a 'professional skills' module which was really useful for gaining skills that you might need in academia. It also covered statistics and coding in R, which are great transferable skills for any career in science. Since finishing my degree, I have been running a marine conservation non-profit (set up by myself and a peer from my course) called The Marine Diaries. I also started working as an Environmental Consultant for Orbis Engery, my role involves map creation in ArcGIS, report writing and research."

"When I applied, only two universities in the world were offering PhDs in marine biology on my dream topic: the underwater sounds of coral reefs. Studying at Essex offered me the once-in-a-lifetime chance to study on pristine coral reefs in Indonesia, some of the richest and most diverse coral reefs in the world. I had absolutely no doubt it was the right decision. I am now a Senior Scientific Adviser at Defra, working with policy makers to solve some of the UK's biggest environmental challenges."