Sarah - Marine biologist
"What I like about my job is its variety. I'm learning new things all the time. I enjoy influencing others and making a difference in the marine environment and I like the fact that my opinion is valued." At school, marine biologist Sarah was always more interested in sciences, especially biology, than other subjects. She chose to study marine biology at university because specialising seemed a better career move and she had always "had close links with the marine environment and enjoyed activities like diving and sailing." On graduating , Sarah went on to take an MSc degree (for part of this she received an EC grant) and was then offered a post with the National Rivers Authority (now merged with other organisations into the Environment Agency). Always 'an environment type at heart' she now works as a Science Team Leader, running environmental assessment activities for the Agency's North East region. Her team completes water and sediment quality work for the marine environment, under guidance from special water quality staff, and carries out all the marine biological work for the region. 
The work is important for several reasons. It must be carried out to comply with statutory EC Directives, it is important that quality is assessed and monitored, and it is sometimes necessary to carry out special investigations related to pollution problems or improvement schemes. Sarah recently worked on an investigation into kittiwake deaths off the north east coast. Her day-to-day work involves planning budgets and allocating tasks, liasing with staff, advising/informing individuals and groups (within and outside the agency), representing the region on national marine science groups, producing reports and analysing data. To get started in this kind of work you need a degree plus some experience and relevant project work. A higher degree is an advantage but self-discipline and the ability to work in a team and manage your time effectively are really more important. "People should not underestimate these qualities, or the way they can influence an interview", Sarah advises. Last year Sarah was lucky enough to be able to work as a marine scientist with two Operation Raleigh projects, running environmental studies in overseas countries. "Although primarily a youth development charity, Operation Raleigh is keen to provide (with the help of scientific advisors) serious scientific research of environmental benefit. I find there are many similarities between this project work and my work at the Environment Agency.
