Careers in Plant Sciences: Success Stories of Alumni, Lecture notes of Biology

Download Careers in Plant Sciences: Success Stories of Alumni and more Lecture notes Biology in PDF only on Docsity! Plant Sciences was not an expected path on entering Trinity but Jenny very quickly became fascinated with all aspects of plant biology after being taught that vegetation history could be tracked over the past two million years by simply using plant pollen preserved in Irish bogs and lakes. Plant Sciences was a tremendously rewarding experience that provided the training and inspiration to pursue a career in science. She went on to graduate with a Ph.D. in Paleobotany (the study of ancient plants) in 1997 from Royal Holloway College, University of London and held two post doctoral positions at the University of Sheffield before becoming Associate Curator at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. She is currently a Lecturer in UCD’s School of Biology and Environmental Science. Jennifer McElwain, BA Plant Sciences Careers in Plant Sciences: graduate profiles… Deirdre Lynn graduated in 1994 and stayed on in TCD to complete her PhD in ecophysiology. Deirdre continued as a post-doctoral researcher in conservation ecology and co-founded a successful ecological consultancy (BEC). She moved on to work for the National Parks and Wildlife Service taking on the responsibility of managing national biodiversity monitoring programmes and also representing Ireland on scientific working groups at EU and international levels. Deirdre was drawn to the variety of possibilities that specialising in Plant Sciences offered. Learning about plant genetics, physiology, biochemistry, ecology and conservation gave her an excellent scientific foundation. The combination of laboratory and field based research made studying Plant Sciences more fun, not many students can say they got to travel around Ireland, the Pyrenees and Guyana! Deirdre Lynn, BA Plant Sciences Early interests in conservation and how plants can be used meant that Plant Sciences was an ideal career choice for Úna. Studying Plant Sciences was both an enjoyable experience and a ticket to travel and do field work in far flung places, from the tropical islands of the South Seas to the rainforests of South America. Úna graduated with a Ph.D. in plant molecular biology from Trinity College Dublin in 2003. She has since used the skills learned through Plant Sciencesto work outside the field, primarily on the conservation of insects. Since 2007 Úna has been employed as an Ecologist at the National Biodiversity Data Centre where she manages a wide range of projects, including national plant and vegetation databases. Úna FitzPatrick, BA Plant Sciences Ciara O’Connor graduated in 2005 and stayed on in TCD to complete her MSc in Environmental Science. Afterwards, Ciara moved to the UK where she worked for three years for the Carbon Trust on carbon reduction and legislative compliance issues. Ciara now works for Dublin based company, Ecocem, who manufacture environmentally friendly, low carbon cement. Ciara is also the Environmental Services Manager of a Carbon Consultancy run by Ecocem, called EmissionZero. Here Ciara engages with EmissionZero clients to assess their Carbon Footprints, develop bespoke Carbon Reduction Strategies and provide clients with the option of using Carbon Offsets in order to become Carbon Neutral organisations. Most recently, Ciara has been selected as one of 15 Climate Advocates that will represent Ireland in the Challenge Europe programme for the next year. Ciara O’Connor, BA Plant Sciences Kirk had a profound interest in nature and the environment and found the TCD Plant Sciences Course to be the perfect grounding to expand his knowledge and interest. After completing his degree, he diversified his education with a Pg. Diploma in Law and then a research MSc in Environmental Law- specifically researching the transposition of EU environmental legislation into national legal and policy frameworks. Having worked in one of the top environmental consultancies in Ireland, Kirk became a Regulatory Advisor and a Project Manager for one of Europe’s leading post-patent agrochemical companies based in Dublin (Barclay Crop Protection). He strongly accredits his professional and post-graduate success to his acquired skills such as; research, presenting presentations, project based work and field surveying – learnt throughout his undergraduate degree in Plant Sciences from TCD. Kirk Donohoe BA Plant Sciences