I am a highly motivated marine biologist and I recently completed by PhD with the British Antarctic Survey and University of Exeter.

Education

My PhD involved studying sexual segregation in Antarctic fur seals to determine why males and females use different resources. By analysing seal tracking data and stable isotopes (chemical compositions) along seal whiskers, I found that the sexes differ in their behaviour and habitat use from early life. These sex differences increasingly diverge as seals grow and age. My research highlights the importance of considering the different needs of sex and age groups in species conservation efforts.

For my Master’s (MSc) degree I studied Marine Environmental Management at the University of York. My MSc dissertation focused on expansion of a grey seal colony in Lincolnshire and my MSc summer placement dissertation investigated the behaviour of harbour seal mother-pup pairs in Northern Ireland. For my Bachelor’s degree I studied Marine Vertebrate Zoology at Bangor University and Oregon State University.

Field experience

My fieldwork experiences include assisting with deploying GPS and satellite tags on adult female Southern sea lions and South American fur seals in the Falkland Islands for projects led by the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI), as well as assisting with deploying GPS tags on guillemots in Iceland for a Changing Arctic Ocean project led by the British Antarctic Survey. I have also interned for the sea otter health monitoring programme for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska, as well as volunteered for the Marine Stranding Network in Cornwall.

Career goal

I ultimately aspire to contribute to marine conservation efforts, and I am eager to do whatever it takes to help protect the extraordinary marine life in our oceans.