Question: What do you need to be an aquatic scientist?

Tom Dally answered on 6 Mar 2020: last edited 6 Mar 2020 12:08 pm

This is a good question, as I am actually surrounded my marine and aquatic biologists in my office every day! It depends on what kind of aquatic scientist you want to be, but you’ll probably need a good degree in a relevant subject (all of the marine and aquatic biologists in my office have degrees in biology or marine biology, for example). You’ll also want to focus on universities that have really good aquatic research groups, places like Portsmouth, Southampton, Exeter, Bangor, and St Andrews. When you’re at university, find scientists who work on subjects that you’re interested in and see whether they need help in their labs. Some might even have summer work or internships for students. This will help provide direction for when you finish your degree. You might also want to try and volunteer for organisations or charities that do marine or aquatic work, like the RSPB or the Marine Conservation Society. You could learn to scuba dive! Read books on the subjects that interest you (not textbooks). But at the most basic level, you need to work hard and be interested in learning new skills. Science is all about being excited by what you don’t know!