Alumni profiles

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Describe your current role and responsibilities

I am a freelance educator and facilitator of nature connection experiences and I work mainly in Bristol, the south-west of England and Wales. I am the founder of Steps in Stone, a Bristol-based nature connection organisation through which I offer events to help people to connect with the geology, history and nature all around us. One of the experiences I offer is the Deep Time Walk, a concept owned by the Deep Time Walk Project, of which I am also the Assistant Director. In this role, I support the roll-out of the Deep Time Walk around the world through managing the training programme, helping with the translations of our materials and developing new resources for our facilitators.

Summarise your career since graduating

During my degree, I became ever more concerned and passionate about the environmental issues facing our planet. After graduating in 2016, I joined Eunomia, an environmental consultancy based in Bristol. I was part of the resources management policy team and I worked mostly on European- and national-level policy addressing plastic waste, including helping to draft the Single-Use-Plastics (SUP) Directive for the European Commission which aimed to reduce the use of SUPs in Europe. I left Eunomia to join Extinction Rebellion as a full-time volunteer in 2019 because I wanted to engage in direct action to raise awareness of the climate and ecological crisis. I left Eunomia on good terms though, and I re-joined part-time between 2021 and 2023 while I set up my own business!

Thanks to the knowledge I acquired during my degree and my experiences in environmental consulting and direct action, I learned that I wanted to find my own way of exploring how a geological perspective - i.e. a longer view of time - can help us develop greater awareness of how to act responsibly on the planet. This is why I set up Steps in Stone. I wanted to share my love of the Earth's extraordinary story with my community, and thereby help others fall in love with this story and develop a more caring relationship with nature. When I set up Steps in Stone, I came across the Deep Time Walk Project and started to partner with them. I now work as a freelancer part-time on my local initiatives with Steps in Stone, and part-time contributing to the global vision of the Deep Time Walk Project. It's a balance that suits me really well!

How would you describe your experience at Bristol?

I came to my degree wanting to learn more about the Earth's systems and how we use this knowledge to inform our decisions as inhabitants of this planet. I loved the breadth and diversity of units I studied as this provided me with a wide basis of understanding of Earth systems. I consider myself really lucky to have done all the fieldwork we did, as not only did I get to see some amazing geology and locations, but it also gave me access to nature in new ways and skills in the outdoors which I still benefit from. One of the main advantages of studying Earth Sciences in Bristol was the family-like feeling of the department: you could interact easily with students from different years, and all the teaching and administrative staff were very approachable, which made my whole university experience much more fun and meaningful.

Do you have any advice for someone considering studying Earth Sciences at Bristol?

There's never been a more important time to study Earth Sciences, from understanding our climate and hydrological systems to figuring out how we make the best use of our precious resources. Enjoy the breadth of study (within your degree and in other parts of the university too!). If there's an area you're particularly interested in, don't hesitate to reach out to the staff in those areas. You have fresh perspectives and ideas to bring, and this is your opportunity to explore them!

Describe your current role and responsibilities

I’m a PhD student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Environmental Mineralogy Group at the University of Bristol, supervised by Dr James Byrne. My research focuses on using biogenic minerals to remove uranium and arsenic from drinking water and it involves s a mixture fieldwork, lab work, and data analysis. I help support undergraduates in learning activities and fieldtrips for my teaching role.

Summarise your career since graduating:

My MSci research project explored the use of bacteria to remove toxic metalloids from groundwater wells in Native American communities. This gave me the great opportunity to collect samples in South Dakota, USA. After completing my degree, I was encouraged to continue my research as a PhD student, which I was delighted to do. Since then, I’ve had the chance to return to South Dakota to work with the local community, travel to Germany to learn new techniques for growing bacteria and biominerals and present my work at several conferences.

How would you describe your experience at Bristol?

I loved studying in Bristol and being part of such a vibrant city. The Environmental Geoscience course gave me a broad range of skills, including fieldwork, geochemical laboratory techniques, data analysis, modelling, and scientific writing. Fieldwork was one of my favourite parts of the course, it’s a great way to learn and make long lasting friendships. I also enjoyed being involved with the Bristol University Geology and Geoscience Society (BUGGS), particularly the annual balls.

Do you have any advice for someone considering studying Earth Sciences at Bristol?

I would highly recommend the School of Earth Sciences. It’s a friendly, close-knit department with a lot to offer, including international field trips, well-equipped laboratories, and a great sense of community. If you’re considering Environmental Geoscience, be aware that the first few years involve a fair amount of maths, chemistry, physics, and hardcore geology. As someone who didn’t take maths, chemistry, or physics at A-level, I can say there’s plenty of support available, and the teaching staff are always happy to help. In the later years of the course, you also have more flexibility to choose the topics that interest you most.

Describe your current role and responsibilities

I work as a Geophysicist at Shearwater GeoServices and have been in industry for 3 years since graduating. My role involves processing active seismic data from marine surveys for natural resource exploration and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

As part of my role, I receive active seismic data from clients or from the survey vessels Shearwater operates. A seismic signal is generated by an array of airguns towed behind a ship and passes through the water column and into the earth. At interfaces such as the seabed or rock layers, some of the seismic energy is reflected, which allows receivers to record the response. Over the course of 12-18 months, I work through a series of geophysical processing challenges to remove noise and geophysical effects from the receiver data to reveal the pure earth response During processing, I get to work with research and development to test and improve tools in the Shearwater Reveal processing software. The goal is to obtain a processed data cube of undersea geology that will be used for geological interpretation to identify key structures and resources. Away from processing, I am required to demonstrate the geophysical decisions made with clients through regular meetings, with the goal of providing an acceptable geophysical product that will be used to make significant industrial decisions.

My specialisation within Shearwater and the seismic processing industry is Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) data, which used an array of receivers on the seabed. OBN allows for improved 3D imaging, improved sub surface imaging and the ability to process transverse waves alongside longitudinal waves using vector receivers. Currently, I am transferring my OBN skills to process Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data from undersea fibre optic cables.

How would you describe your experience at Bristol?

I joined Bristol in the autumn of 2019 and completed my integrated masters in the summer of 2023. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, I thoroughly enjoyed improving my practical and research skills in the field and classroom and combining my interest of Maths, Physics and Physical Geography. Getting to complete geophysical surveys in Clifton and the Brecon Beacons was a distinct highlight for me. Some of my favourite courses during my time in the School of Earth Science included volcanology, atmospheric geophysics and seismic processing. My master's project of creating the GAEVA volcanic ash model was a fantastic way to bring all my interests into a unique project at the end of my time at university.

During my time in the Earth Science Department, I volunteered as a Geophysicist Representative during my 1^st and 3^rd year and acted as BUGGS President between 2020-2021. I thoroughly enjoyed the ability to foster community within the Earth Science Network while raising concerns from colleagues to the department during the pandemic. I also found a great network of earth sciences students, where we would meet up for lunch outside of study, work together with practicing presentations and heading out to go rock climbing in nearby centres and cliffs

Beyond Earth Science, I participated in the Expedition Society, regularly taking students to UK national parks, teaching navigation and campcraft skills and organising 2 international backpacking expeditions to Romania and Andorra in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Do you have any advice for someone considering studying Earth Sciences at Bristol?

1. Take advantage of the Career and Earth Science talks - The field is incredibly broad and diverse and can be daunting to work out what you want to do with your degree. Using the opportunities from the School of Earth Science allows you to explore the wider field and find what you are interested in. I was able to find my interest (and now career) of seismic processing because of attending extra-curricular activities and feel exited to be using my degree in a field I have genuine passion for.
2. The multi-disciplinary nature of Earth Science - Unlike a lot of university courses, Earth Science stands out as being the "Jack of all Trades". Alongside traditional studying and lectures, you get practical fieldwork experience, lab sessions and both domestic and international travel. You also get the best of both independent and teamwork skills and the ability to get a well-rounded skillset for future research or joining industry.
3. Have fun in your spare time - Beyond your studies, make the most of your time at university by joining a society via the Bristol Student's Union, explore the city and the surrounding countrysides and make lasting memories with a broad international community. It is such a unique period where the world is your oyster and so much is possible!

Describe your current role and responsibilities

I work as a Wireline Field Engineer in the oil and gas sector, which involves constant movement and changing scenarios (I'm choppered to 4 rigs every month on average), fast problem-solving, and adapting to new cultures and work processes. I've travelled all over the world, living in Malaysia, Myanmar and currently Norway, with stints in UAE and Italy. I'm never working with a group of people with a single nationality.

How would you describe your experience at Bristol?

What I strongly recall during my first year in Bristol was the surprise and jealousy from all my friends in halls: they didn't understand how I had so many friends in my department. This of course was due to the fact that we spent so much time together during field trips and practicals which allowed us all to integrate and bond.

How did your qualification help you in your career?

The course was a fantastic mix of theoretical - with technical problems and research projects - and practicals, that allowed us to directly apply our knowledge and not be enclosed by a screen. Professors encouraged an inquisitive attitude and designed a range of field trips. During my time at Bristol I managed to go to several countries for these: Spain, Greece and Chile.

All these factors I strongly believe contributed to my current career. Bristol encouraged me to be outgoing, and studying Geology made me realise I was never going to be comfortable with a standard desk job.