Profile

I’m a marine biologist and science communicator! 🌊👩🏽‍🔬 I enjoy sharing my research and academic journey – the good, the bad, and the ugly! Being a first-generation student, my goal is to make science more accessible for everyone.

In my spare time, I love to exercise. I am a gymnast, tennis player and rock climber! I promise you won’t meet many other scientists who can backflip!🤸🏽 I also love to spend time outdoors with my friends hiking, cycling, or cold-water swimming. I also absolutely love SCUBA diving and I am certified to Advanced Open Water level 🤿.

When I’m not working or exercising, I’m practicing my photography, making videos or exploring new places! 📷 I also spend time and help care for my younger brother, who has ASD and ADHD.

My current work uses fancy technology to track what species live on our coastlines and how those species are coping under pressures of climate change (almost like an ocean detective 🕵🏽‍♀️). I spend lots of time near the ocean and in the lab, as well as at the computer analysing massive datasets through code!

I look at DNA in sea water to check which animals and plants are living in a particular place. Usually, the species that are most sensitive to heat waves and storms are also the most important in keeping the marine ecosystem healthy and in balance! So, it’s important to monitor how they are doing over time.

As a researcher, my ‘typical’ day can change quite dramatically throughout the year. This is because I do so many different things!

When I’m working from home (usually on the computer either reading, writing, coding or teaching), I wake-up around 07:30, get dressed in comfy/gym clothes, and eat breakfast (either Cornflakes, granola with fruit and yogurt, or toast and a banana). Then, I usually work from 09:00-17:00, with a one-hour hour lunch break in which I take a walk outside. After work, I exercise in the evening (whether that be gymnastics, tennis, swimming or climbing).

When I work in lab, I usually work longer hours to make the most of my time. This usually means starting work at 07:00 and finishing at 18:00. I sometimes work in the ‘clean’ labs, which means I have to wear my funky white suit!

When I collect samples in the field, I sometimes have to get very early because I have to work with the tides! I’ve had to wake up as early as 03:30 in the morning on some trips! Working in the field can be amazing because you get to see lots of cool animals and plants, but the work can be very tiring.