Lucy Darby

MSc in Marine Science & Climate Change

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" As a Research Assistant with the University I worked on the Darwin+ oyster restoration project currently being undertaken in Gibraltar."

Describe the work you conducted for your position?

As a Research Assistant with the University I worked on the Darwin+ oyster restoration project currently being undertaken in Gibraltar. My role within the project involved a methods-based literature review to establish the best possible methodology that would work within the budget and time restraints, which I then utilised to conduct field and lab work. I was also involved in the final write-up for the project, contributing to all sections of the report.

I was brought onto the oyster project specifically to investigate the site feasibility of four different sites around the coastline. Feasibility was investigated in BGTW utilising a 0.5 L Van Veen sediment sampler and series of three Filtra sieves which were used to undertake particle size analysis, classifying the sediment according to the Wentworth size class scale. The GAIA mobile app was utilised to take GPS coordinates for the location of each sediment sample, allowing the likelihood of juvenile oysters to settle in different areas to be estimated according to the varying types of sediment.

Benthic bedforms were also investigated as these offer an indication of the mobility of the sediment, for this digital imagery was utilised to collect video footage of the seafloor. Screenshots were taken from the video footage and the ripple pattern was qualitatively characterised utilising findings from previous publications.

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What transferable skills from your MSc programme and research project did you employ within the project.

My MSc research project focused on sandbank off the East coast of Gibraltar and attempted to provide a “health assessment” of the habitat, this involved the use of three methodologies. A combination of digital imagery and sediment sampling was conducted, utilising towed video to qualitatively characterise benthic bedforms, drop frame video to estimate the abundance of burrowing organisms and a Van Veen grab to calculate the granulometry of the sediment. The field and lab work I conducted for the Darwin+ oyster project directly followed on from two of the three methodologies I utilised for my MSc thesis.

Along with the directly transferable fieldwork skills I was able to bring from the MSc programme, my scientific writing skills vastly improved over the course along with my ability to produce graphical outputs. The in-depth literature review conducted during the project improved my speed and efficiency in sifting scientific publications and choosing relevant articles to be then read in full.

The programme also includes lectures from a variety of experts in the field, which has broadened my knowledge and understanding on a range of diverse topics, particularly viewing a range of environmental issues and considering multiple perspectives and interconnections between them. Finally, the programme is intense but extremely interesting and enjoyable. I feel I have gained and developed a variety of essential skills including critical thinking, adaptability, and effective communication preparing me for the future, thanks to the holistic programme offered by the University of Gibraltar.

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What are your long-term career ambitions?

I very much enjoyed the research aspect of the master’s course and through my role as a research assistant with the university. Currently I am considering applying to return academia, either for another master’s degree or potentially a PhD. I am unsure exactly what I would like to do in the long term however a position in research along with an element of scientific writing appeals to me.