Professional History

I grew up by the sea in Aberdeen and have always had a passion for the marine environment. On rare weekends when visibility was more than one metre, I spent my time snorkelling, exploring the underwater world.

At school, I was, in my opinion, poorly advised, not encouraged to pursue marine biology because of the limited job prospects. Instead, I chose to study chemical engineering with a focus on environmental sustainability at the University of Manchester. I wanted to keep my options open since I wasn’t yet sure what career path I wanted to follow.

After graduating, I returned to Aberdeen and worked as an engineer developing novel materials for buoyancy in underwater engineering. However, I soon realised that engineering wasn’t the right fit for me. I then searched for graduate schemes and was fortunate to secure a place on Barclays’ Future Leaders Development Programme in London. There, I worked as a data analyst, but I still felt driven to find a career I was truly passionate about.

I considered going back to undergraduate studies in marine biology or even becoming a scuba diving instructor. But then I discovered a PhD opportunity through the London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership. I was lucky to be accepted, and this allowed me to follow my passion and build the career I’d always wanted.

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