Ever wondered what it’s like to drop academia for a different kind of conservation adventure? ‘Mercenary biologist’ Dr Fernando Mateos-González – who we’re so thrilled to have join us in delivering our next Kick-starter online training for Early Career Conservationists course – did just that. Fernando is a Spanish biologist with a PhD in Behavioural
Heather McFarlane is Former Director of Communications and Fundraising at the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) and is responsible for growing the income and the number of supporters for the UK conservation charity. What are you most proud of achieving in your work? I’m really proud of our Big Bat Map, which is a website that
Parrots are exquisite creatures. It is hard not to be endlessly fascinated by their forms, colors and behaviors – parrots, along with crows, are some of the most intelligent birds. When I was a little girl I desperately wanted to have an African Grey so I could teach it to talk. That was before I
Amelie Knapp is a Policy Officer at European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Here she tells us what it’s like to work on fisheries policy within the European Union, and she shares her career secrets. What work do you do? I work to ensure that EU Member States collect scientific data on their fisheries.
Lucy McRobert is a talented conservation communicator, and ex-Creative Director of a network of young people in the UK looking to start their professional careers in conservation. Here she tells conservation careers her story so far, and provides advice which others can follow… Why do you work in conservation? Most people say that they loved
James Borrell is a writer, speaker and scientist, with a passion for fieldwork and expeditions. He is currently based in London, whilst studying rare species in the Scottish Highlands and promoting conservation. Read his fabulous advice on how to get a job in conservation. **Check out our Ultimate Guide for Conservation Job Seekers here ->
Judith Lock is a teaching fellow at the University of Southampton. She specialises in the areas of ecology, evolution and animal behaviour. Her role also involves improving links with local organisations to promote opportunities to enhance student employability within conservation careers and beyond. Why do you work in ecology and conservation? I grew in Somerset
WWF have 58 offices around the globe and around 6,203 staff. Mary Ellen Swenson is a Human Resources Coordinator at WWF and is based at the headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. Her role involves a lot of work in social media, promoting vacancies, shortlisting and doing interviewing. In an interview with Conservation Careers she describes what
Leila Fouda is a marine mammal conservation scientist. She is lucky enough to be able to travel to far flung and beautiful places studying whales, dolphins and other marine mammals for her job. She tells us what it’s like to work as a marine biologist, and provides advice for people looking to work in the
Dr Joe Chipperfield is a postdoctoral Research Ecologist working in the Biogeography department at the University of Trier in Germany. The main focus of his research is the development and application of new techniques to ascertain the ranges of species and to try and predict what may happen to these ranges in the future. WHY DO YOU
Julie Melrose is Assistant Director for the Conservation Council Australian Capital Territory. She is a passionate advocate for progressive social and environmental change with over seven years experience managing a variety of projects and campaigns like Earth Hour for WWF. WHY DO YOU HAVE A CONSERVATION JOB? I have been working for environmental NGOs for
We spend nearly half our waking lives at work and most of us aren’t that happy about it. We all know CVs or résumés are a crucial weapon in our bid to land the jobs we crave – that’s why it surprises us how bad some can be. So for want of anything better to
Already doing your dream job? If so, don’t bother reading on – there’s nothing to see here. If you are still on the lookout, you are in the right place. A stunning CV is a damn good start – but we’ve seen some criminal résumé and CV mistakes in our time. I’m not talking about
Nick Askew is the Fundraising and Communications Manager for BirdLife Pacific – a flourishing network of seven national conservation organisations based in Fiji, Palau, New Zealand, Australia, Cook Islands, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. They are supported by the BirdLife Pacific Secretariat which manages regional projects and assists in conservation planning, capacity development and fundraising. WHY
Steve Ormerod is Professor of Ecology in Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences and current Chairman of the RSPB Council – the biggest wildlife charity in Europe. His conservation career so far includes the following highlights: the winner of the Marsh Award for Marine and Freshwater Conservation, Chief Editor of the Journal of Applied Ecology; President
Emily worked as Assistant Programme Officer at The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. UNEP-WCMC is the United Nations Environment Programme’s specialist biodiversity assessment arm. They provide authoritative information about biodiversity and ecosystem services in a manner that is useful to decision-makers who are driving change in environment and development policy. Emily studied Geography at Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Jason Houston is an assignment photographer with over 20 years’ experience working around the world producing stories that matter for conservation. Jason travels fast, light, and unobtrusively to capture authentic moments that will powerfully and effectively tell a story. Here Jason provides an insight into the highs and lows of his chosen career. How would
Paul Hotham has over 25 years of conservation experience including work in the UK National Parks and voluntary sector and international conservation NGOs. His MSc thesis was undertaken in the Amboseli and Kilimanjaro National Parks on transboundary cooperation between protected areas. Paul has extensive experience in species conservation, protected area management and conservation capacity building.
Alex is Senior Conservation Officer for BirdWatch Ireland – a voluntary conservation organisation in the Republic of Ireland, devoted to the conservation and protection of its wild birds and their habitats. It was formerly known as the Irish Wildbird Conservancy. WHY DO YOU HAVE A CONSERVATION JOB? Initially, because I loved being outdoors watching, recording and
Mark is Head of Ornithology at APEM – Europe’s leading independent environmental consultancy specialising in freshwater and marine ecology and aerial surveys. We offer work of the highest quality and scientific integrity, together with excellent service. WHY DO YOU HAVE A CONSERVATION JOB? I think that the human imprint on the earth is massive. Wildlife biodiversity,
Mark is the former RSPB Conservation Director and has been called Britain’s premier wildlife blogger. He worked for the RSPB for 25 years – and spent 13 years as their Conservation Director. Mark’s knowledge about nature conservation in the UK is without par, and he cares deeply about the sustainability of wildlife in the modern world. The
Simon Bangs is a Conservation Recruitment Consultant for Allen & York – a leading International Sustainability Recruitment Consultancy, with an increasing number of renewable energy jobs, ecology and environmental jobs throughout the globe. WHAT DO YOU DO AS A RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT? We work on behalf of a variety of clients around the world to source new
Twenty seconds. That’s all the time you’ve got to impress a potential employer. You can’t even boil an egg in that time – not even close. And even if you could, it almost certainly wouldn’t help. Research shows that if employers don’t like your application in that kind of timeframe then you’ve had it. With
Naima Montacer is an environmentalist adventurer. She strives to be as “green” as she can and encourages others to do their little bit. Her journey is full of thoughts, wildlife, food, conservation and adventures. Here she shares her advice for young conservationists of the future! I love skyping with students from all over the country.
Professor Bill Sutherland, British Ecological Society President, kicked off their recent Ecological Careers Conference by getting attendees to think about what skills they’d need for a career in ecology and how they could go about obtaining those skills and experiences. Using the advice from this session, and other FAQs and speakers’ tips from throughout the day,
I work as a Research Associate for the Sustainable Human and Environment Development Organization (SHEDO) – a very small organization working in Narmada district of Gujarat (India). In this region, the local population is coming into conflict with the interests of wildlife. I am carrying out research to better understand this conflict. Prior to this
Elizabeth Allen is the Collaborations and Communications Manager for The Cambridge Conservation Initiative. CCI is a unique collaboration between the University of Cambridge and leading Internationally-focussed biodiversity conservation organisations clustered in and around Cambridge, UK. It represents a critical mass of expertise — on a scale unparalleled anywhere in the world — at the interface of
Looking for a job? Everyone knows how important your LinkedIn profile is. There’re no prizes for realising that I’m afraid. Not everyone knows how to write one though. That’s the hard bit. There’s no such thing as the perfect LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is constantly evolving and so is the way people use it – but
Mel Cousins from the Field Studies Council talks to Conservation Careers about the Field Studies Council, and how they can help you along your chosen career path. What is the Field Studies Council? We’re an environmental education charity, offering opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to discover and learn about the natural world
Nikita Shiel-Rolle is the founder and Director of the Young Marine Explorers in The Bahamas. She completed her Undergraduate degree at University of Miami and is currently working on a Masters of Science at the University of Edinburgh. Her she tell us about her conservation career so far… Why do you work in conservation? I
