Marine Biologist: Environmental Management

Keith Hanson (age: late 20’s)

Tell us about you and your job….
I work as a Marine Biologist, and I am the Environmental Manager for the London Array Offshore Wind Farm.If I was to describe my job in 3 words I would say it was ‘marine field science’. Going on holiday to the Wash as a child, and spending all my time on the beach, and in the sea in all weathers initially inspired me to go into my chosen career. I gained a BSc Marine Biology at Aberystwyth University, followed up with a MSc Offshore Engineering Cranfield University. This combination of specialities really gave me the edge. I worked at the Ionian Sea Research Centre mapping the sea floor and conducting fisheries assessments.

My ambitions for the future include completing a PhD looking at Offshore Environmental Monitoring, and possibly if I get time to publish a number of scientific papers on all of the work that I have been doing for the last 5 years.

What have been the best and worst parts of your career so far?
My favourite bit of the job is getting out on the survey vessels, mapping and grabbing the sea floor. The best moment of my career so far is being on a survey vessel at sun rise, with a mirror flat sea, and a deep sense of awe at the natural world around me. The part of the job that I don’t particularly like is being stuck behind a desk in the winter months. And being up to my neck in mud, in winter, with horizontal rain, doing intertidal surveys is challenging to say the least!

How much money do you make?
I make in excess of £40,000 in my current role.

What advice would you give someone thinking about going into a similar career?
The advice I would give someone thinking of going into a similar career would be MATHS! Statistics are the life blood of ecology. Biology and Chemistry are a good bet too!

If you could be anything, what would you do if you weren’t in your current role?
Sailing an Open 50 in the vendee globe, or teaching technical diving.

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