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Hear from our ambassadors as they share how UCL's vibrant community, academic challenges, and meaningful roles have shaped their journeys and inspired their growth.
Alexandra Markitantova
"I chose the Ecology and Data Science programme, hoping to integrate my background in ecology with my interest in computer science and statistics.
Studying at UCL feels like having London at your fingertips. With the iconic main campus in Central London, the innovative UCL East, and even some lectures at the Natural History Museum and London Zoo, the city really opens up to you.
I really appreciate that on our course people come from such different backgrounds. It’s wonderful to hear about the exciting experiences of others and find inspiration for myself.
I’m an Access and Widening Participation Student Ambassador at UCL. We work with school children from underrepresented groups to encourage them towards higher education. It’s incredibly rewarding and feels like I am actually making a difference.
This term, we are working with external partners to address real-world ecological challenges. My group is partnered with CodyDock, a charity located on the bank of the River Lea in East London. We are developing a plan to create an eDNA survey programme for monitoring biodiversity in tidal river systems".
Beth Downe
“I chose the Foundations of Citizen Science module as my optional module towards my MSc in Ecology & Data Science largely because I was aware of how important citizen science initiatives had become in ecological research - but really knowing very little about it. I was therefore a little apprehensive to begin with, but very quickly found that the content was highly relevant and interesting, and that the teaching staff were welcoming, inclusive and engaging. I found that the knowledge gained from the module was relevant in some way or another to several of my other taught modules, and it really helped me to link other elements of my degree together and to what is happening in the 'real world', at the community level and beyond academia. I ended up doing my research project on a citizen science-related topic, and now find myself a citizen scientist keen to continue being involved in initiatives I learned about through the course”.
Pablo Ubilla Pavez
"The MSc in Ecology and Data Science was a super interesting program, with people from all sorts of backgrounds. I made great friends, had some really interesting lectures, and got to dive into very interesting research. I even got to present some results at a conference! Coming from engineering, I saw so many projects that caught my interest by blending math modelling with ecology-related problems, which really motivated me to keep pushing toward a career in interdisciplinary research.
The Biodiversity Generation and Maintenance elective was a highlight. We had lectures at the Zoological Society of London and the Natural History Museum, where researchers shared their work firsthand. It was a mix of learning from people doing various things, like fieldwork, lab experiments, conservation, programming, math modelling, and curation, giving a broad look at biodiversity research. I’d especially recommend it for master students outside of ecology, as it provides a great overview of current research in the field."
Alastair Pickering
“The MSc in Ecology and Data Science is an excellent, intensive immersion into the use of advanced data science approaches to tackle ecological challenges. I found the course to be well-structured, guiding students from core ecological theories and coding/statistical principles to more advanced techniques and approaches, with strong support throughout. It culminates in a student-led research project, which was a fantastic opportunity to apply these skills independently to an area of interest (in my case using AI to decipher the vocalisations of African elephants). Overall, the course has deepened my knowledge of practical computational methods and their application to pressing biodiversity issues.”
Morgan Langley
“I look back fondly on my time at UCL, studying ecology and data science at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Being in the heart of London provided unparalleled opportunities, and my experience at UCL was transformative for my career. It allowed me to pivot from a biology-focused path to a data-driven career, as well as making friends along the way. My time in Kate's bioacoustics lab was particularly memorable, as it equipped me with invaluable skills and insights that I continue to apply in my current role as a Data Scientist.”