Profile

CV

• Education:

  I went to Dunblane High School. I left at the end of my fifth year and took a year out before going to university. I’d applied for a deferred entry during my fifth year, which I am really glad I did, as it meant I wasn’t leaving high school with no plans, but I still had time to decide if I really wanted to go do the course I had chosen. I decided I definitely did and I went to the University of St Andrews to study Marine Biology.

  At the University of St Andrews I studied many different subjects including psychology, organic chemistry, social anthropology, oceanography, ecology, bioinformatics, physiology, statistics, conservation, and fisheries science. I love the Scottish system because it encourages you to take a wide variety of subjects in your first year and taking Social Anthropology next to a lot of “hard” science subjects allowed me to come at them from a very different perspective.

  During my time at St Andrews I also managed to do a module on coral reef ecology in Indonesia and was selected for their highly competitive exchange programme at James Cook University in Australia. I got to see the Great Barrier Reef, a pilgrimage for a marine scientist! I definitely didn’t have the best grades of the people who applied to this programme, but I went overboard in preparing for the interview, selecting the modules I wanted to take, talking to students who had done it before, and having a really clear outline of how it would benefit me. It wasn’t the last time I got something because of enthusiasm rather than grades!

  My next educational step was my Master’s degree. I got a scholarship to study Aquaculture, Environment and Society. This is an Erasmus mundus programme where you spend 6 months in Oban in Scotland learning the basics of farming in aquatic systems (aquaculture), 6 months in Greece learning about finfish farming, 6 months in France learning about algae and shellfish farming and then 6 months on a research project. I did my research project in Norway looking at how oxygen can impact fish welfare. The most amazing thing about this was the group I was studying with as there were people from all over the world.

  

  I then worked in industry for a bit before returning to do my PhD, which I am just about to finish.

• Qualifications:

  Standard grades: English (1), Maths (1), French (1), Biology (1), Chemistry (1), Physics (1).

  Intermediate II: Art (A) and Modern Studies (A)

  Highers: Biology (A), Chemistry (A), French (A), English (A), Maths (B)

• Work History:

  As I mentioned, I took a year out after high school. During that year I worked 3 jobs at the same time but I also managed to spend 4 months in Cambodia where I learnt to dive and helped on a project looking at how trawling impacts sea horses and how Marine Protected Areas affect fish populations. Working 3 jobs was a bit of a mistake, as I started over the study break and I probably could have saved myself a lot of stress by taking that a bit easier! I was working as a nursery nurse, a stock assistant at M&S, and a teaching assistant with Kumon.  I learnt a lot in these roles, especially about communication, and was able to save up enough to go away to Cambodia, so it was worth it in the end. I also think it demonstrates that I am a hard worker!

  While I was at university I had a part time job at a woollens shop and I was a tour guide for a woollen mill over the holidays. University holidays are long, and you will never have so much time off again so make the most of them! The tour guiding really helped my public speaking, as did performing in a show in the Edinburgh fringe which I did in my first year. I still get stage fright for sure, but these both really helped me become more confident.

  After my undergraduate degree I took another year out, as I was a little bit burnt out! During this time I worked as a laboratory assistant for a few months, looking at how many eggs sea lice (a key parasite for salmon) make and how it varies by area and through the year. The funding eventually ran out for this, so I worked at Waterstones and then as a nursery nurse again. It was really good to take a break from education and explore other options such as child care, but I quickly started missing science so returned for my Master’s degree.

  After my Master’s degree I applied for 37 different jobs, eventually getting a position as a Field Trials Assistant at a company called Benchmark Animal Health. They make veterinary products for farming and were developing a new type of sea lice medicine to treat salmon. I really couldn’t have asked for a better first graduate job. It had a real start-up feel and you could get involved in any project that you showed some competence in, so I was designing and running experiments, meeting customers, doing pricing models, running field trials off the coast of Norway, helping develop new ways to test water quality, all sorts. I was constantly learning and adapting. I was promoted to Product Development Scientist and then to Development Manager. But eventually the pace at which I was learning slowed down a lot and I realised I really wanted to do a PhD before I went too far down this career path. So I left and started my PhD at the University of Stirling, which is where I am working now.

• Current Job:

  I am currently a PhD student. A PhD student is a bit different from other students as you are essentially doing a fulltime job. I’ve really enjoyed my doctorate and I’m very glad I didn’t do it straight out of completing my undergraduate or master’s degrees as I was able to get more out of it with more experience under my belt. My PhD was very closely linked to industry, which I’ve really enjoyed as some things I’ve discovered have already lead to changes in how ballan wrasse are grown!

• Employer:

  The University of Stirling