Rebecca Trippier, MSc Aquatic Science

A curator at the University of Nottingham, Rebecca says the skills she learnt at UCL were invaluable to her career.

“I chose to study my MSc at UCL because of the Geography Department’s prestigious reputation for research. The MSc programme was fantastic, with excellent lecturers and guest lectures from other leading researchers and organisations in the field. Some of my highlights include my dissertation project with the Natural History Museum and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the extremely enjoyable fieldwork trips spent in Norfolk and Dorset with the legendary Professor Carl Sayer!

“The strong focus on laboratory and fieldwork provided me with a wide range of skills, which have really helped me to build a CV that stands out to employers. I always have something interesting to talk about in job interviews.

Skills for life

“The Geography Department at UCL is great at developing your skills and knowledge to give you the experience to take on a wide variety of careers. I use my understanding of biology to help to curate bioinformatics data daily and my knowledge of GIS and R I learnt during my dissertation project, has helped me develop an interest in programming, which I use to manage and update our databases.

“I now work as the curator for Nottingham Arabidopsis Stock Centre which is a grant-funded project part of the University of Nottingham. I use my knowledge of biology and programming skills I gained during my degree to understand and curate the ecotype and bioinformatics data we receive, and in managing the databases and information requests, designing and conducting collaborative projects with our American partners and updating our web pages.

“Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge around you and the opportunities that London has to offer. During my degree, I undertook volunteering at both the Natural History Museum and with the environmental charity Froglife and it was such a beneficial experience, supporting my studies and developing my practical conservation skills."