Ellie Hawcutt – BSc (Hons) Conservation Biology graduate

The facilities for my course are very good. The labs are really modern and have some incredible technology in them that will enable you to learn skills that can be used in the workplace after graduation. For my dissertation, I used the computer labs for a lot of my data analysis and was able to use new and exciting software for this.

The support during the course was phenomenal. Even during the COVID pandemic, it was clear the lecturers still wanted us to get as much as we could out of the course. From having online lab practicals to having 1 to 1 meetings with tutors via Zoom. When the pandemic subsided, the support was still just as good. During my final year, the support I received whilst completing my dissertation is what pushed me to get a first class in my research project and then overall.

I completed a placement year as a research assistant to Dr Louise Firth at the University. We were studying molluscs, ranging from changes to their reproductive behaviour as a consequence of climate change, to the benefits of the ‘greening’ of infrastructure such as sea walls on mollusc communities. The placement year helped me in so many ways. Firstly, I made some great contacts in the field of marine ecology, broadening my prospects for future careers as up to this point I had been mainly involved in terrestrial ecology. Furthermore, I was able to aid fieldwork with PhD students, and lab work with masters students, therefore opening my eyes to the world of further education, a path I may go down in the near future.

The field trip to Slapton Ley FSC was what inspired me to pursue a career in local British wildlife. Learning skills such as small mammal trapping, bat detection, and plant identification is what, I believe, got me my most recent role as an ecologist in Scotland.

Seeing such motivated lecturers that were passionate about the subjects that they study had such a large influence on me. Having meetings and discussing my future career with different lecturers was really beneficial and helped with getting contacts for jobs post-university.

After finishing my final year exams, I went on to do a research internship in Costa Rica, studying bird community composition as a result of differing reforestation techniques. This was an incredible experience as I had not been able to go as a result of the pandemic, so finally getting out there felt like a dream come true. Upon returning to the UK, I took the role of graduate ecologist at Atmos Consulting Ltd. in Inverness and now travel the Highlands completing ecological surveys.

Studying my degree in the biological sciences cluster is essential for any change to happen in terms of reversing the effects of climate change etc. If more people study the challenges the Earth faces, then there will be more people that want to fight to do something about it.

During my course, I learnt about the devastating effects of a changing climate on terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, and how we are already seeing drastic declines in the biodiversity within them. Furthermore, the course opened my eyes to the other challenges the natural world faces, such as land use change and anthropogenic infrastructure. These issues are a large part of my current role as an ecologist, in which I take steps to mitigate such negative effects on the natural world.