Can you tell us about your career journey? 

After I graduated from my degree in Forestry, I was employed by Arcadis and Euroconsult. My job title was Associate Expert and I was deployed as a Field Co-ordinator on the Rehabilitation of Mangrove Forests Programme, based in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam for about nine months. When this project came to a close,  I was transferred onto another project in Sri Lanka,  based in the capital of Colombo. Here I worked for two and a half years on the Integrated Resources Management Project. I was attracted to this job because I undertook my final year graduation project in Vietnam. 

I then made the decision to take a postgraduate degree. I managed to get a place at very short notice on MSc Tropical Coastal Management with the help of good recommendation letters from my project managers. This postgraduate degree was a very good fit for me, given my background and experiences. 

I was keen to continue to work in exotic places with the experiences that brings. Towards the end of my degree, I applied for the position of Project Manager at Bonaire National Marine Park in the Netherlands Antilles. I left for Bonaire straight after completing my degree and worked for a year in this fantastic national marine park. However, due to my relationship with my now wife, I made the decision to return to England to either find work or a suitable PhD. I got in contact with my supervisor from my MSc course, inquiring about PhD opportunities and it just so happened that he has a position with funding pending which he offered to me when the funding came through. I was very lucky indeed and it shows the importance of networking. 

After the completion of my PhD, I applied for various positions in England and was offered the role of Technical Advisor for the International Tanker Owner’s Pollution Federation (ITOPF). It was a very exciting and interesting role. The work really suited me and I enjoyed the diversity of the role, from the practical on-the-ground spill response to academic discussions and reporting on the various aspects of marine environmental impacts of oil and chemicals. It was very much applied in science. This work ignited my passion and interest in all aspects of crisis management and as it turns out, I am quite good at it. I have never looked back since. 

I left ITOPF after five years, due to the fact that the demands of the job were too strenuous for my young family. The nature of the job required 24/7 availability and traveling to far destinations at the last minute for weeks at a time. In everything I do, the well-being and happiness of my family come first, so I decided it was time to find a role with a better work-life balance. I went on to work as an Oil Spill Technology Advisor in BP’s Crisis Management Team.

I enjoyed this role very much, but unfortunately, after four and a half years, I and a few others in made redundant due to reorganisation. I was lucky enough that I could cover for someone who went on maternity leave at Shell as a Response Specialist for the Oil Spill Expertise Centre. This was only a one-year fixed-term contract after which I was unemployed for nine months due to Covid-19. 

Never giving up, I applied for well over a hundred jobs and was offered my first role at my current company, Southern Water, as an Incident Advisor. Shortly after, I was promoted to the role of Operational Business Continuity Advisor. 

How did your degree prepare you for your career?  

The Natural Sciences are a diverse field. They teach a great range of skills that are transferrable to other fields if life puts you on a different path or if your interests change. My degrees have prepared me for the different jobs that I have pursued and at the time they were the best choices for my interests. 

I think what university prepares you for, and not just in the Natural Sciences, is critical thinking. It’s a very important skill and is becoming even more so at the movement where it can be hard to distinguish between fact and fiction. Critical thinking and a healthy dose of common sense will help you do well in life. 

What are your greatest achievements so far?  

I am the first author of two peer-reviewed papers as a result of my PhD research, I have worked extensively on the salvage operation on the Costa Concordia cruise ship tragedy in Italy, advising all stakeholders on environmental impacts. I have also lead the delivery of a major three-day regional emergency response exercise in Denmark. 

 What advice would you give to students who aspire to a career in Natural Sciences?   

Find something that you are passionate about. Life is simply too short and you are going to spend most of it working, so you better find something that you enjoy. Having said that, in your journey to get there, be flexible.

Don’t be too focused on one specific subject or specialism because you might miss opportunities by being too narrowly focused or inflexible. There is usually more than one way to get to where you want to be. 

Also, take every opportunity to get experience. The fields of marine biology and conservation are highly competitive with no shortage of graduates. So when applying for jobs you need to stand out. 

Networking is very important. Build relationships with as many people as possible and not only with those with similar interests. Places like LinkedIn are invaluable, so get a professional-looking profile on it, even if you don’t think you have enough experience. You do. If you are volunteering, have a part-time job or are a member of a relevant university club, get it on there.

Explore your career options.