Profile
Sophie Bennett
My CV
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Education:
Thomas Mills High School & Sixth Form, Suffolk
University of Kent
Imperial College London
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology & University of Liverpool -
Qualifications:
A levels: History, Maths (AS), Chemistry & Biology. I found doing my A-levels quite an odd time. I don’t think I had yet grasped that if I really tried I could do so much better than if I coasted. I think getting my results, which were fine but not as great as I hoped, was a big turning point in my approach to work.
Biology with a placement year BSc at the University of Kent. I absolutely loved doing my degree course, it was the first time I felt like a real scientist and that I was on the path to becoming an expert in something. There were so many fantastic opportunities to be involved with different types of projects, and I still use the skills I learned from these almost daily.
Ecology, Evolution & Conservation MRes at Imperial College London
PhD in Seabird ecology at UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology & University of Liverpool (current position)
A permit bird ringer from the BTO. This is the qualification that I am most proud of as using this I can monitor, track, measure and study wild birds. This permit gives me permission to capture birds safely and collect data to study them. While I mainly use this for my work, I also collect additional data in my spare time for private projects.
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Work History:
In date order:
-Catering assistant
-Plant nursery worker
-Canoe trail assistant
-Grounds staff
-University demonstrating
-Genetics lab assistant
-Barista
-Seabird monitoring assistant -
Current Job:
Currently I am completing a PhD where I work on seabird behaviour & ecology. I research how the behaviour of birds can affect whether and why their population is increasing and doing well, or decreasing.
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About Me:
My biggest passion is watching wildlife (it’s what I can be found doing in most of my spare time), otherwise I love playing guitar, sea-swimming, bouldering, & I’m a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community
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What’s your project about?: I am researching seabirds in Scotland to find out what can cause their populations to decline, and, using tracking devices, where they go in the winter
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Read more
Currently I am working on the behaviour and movement/ migration of a seabird species called the ‘common guillemot’ that live on an island off the East coast of Scotland.
Essentially guillemots are the Northern Hemisphere equivalent of penguins, both in how they look and in their incredible ability to dive deeply for long periods. An added bonus of guillemots (in my opinion) is that they can also fly (which penguins can’t).
I am researching what seabirds do in the winter. Though we see seabirds on land in the summer when they’re breeding and raising chicks, they actually spend most of the year at sea. Because it’s hard to observe animal at sea (1- it’s massive, 2- the weather is often quite rubbish) this means that there’s a lot we don’t about these species. If we don’t know where they are, we also won’t know what dangers they’re exposed to, like being caught in fish nets, not being able to find food, having to cope with extreme weather.
To find out where the birds are and what they’re doing in the winter we can fit birds with a very small tracking device that can also tell us whether the bird is diving (and feeding), flying, or swimming.
Using these data, in my project we are then testing how well the birds are doing in the winter, and comparing this to how well they are doing in the summer when they’re rearing their chicks. Combining these data together we can see whether the population is struggling and why (good news for those guillemots we’re trying to help).
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My Typical Day:
I tend to get up fairly early (~sunrise), so I can go and check on the birds & their chicks before breakfast. Then I come back to the house and do computer work till lunchtime when I go check on the birds again (in case there have been any changes). Sometimes in the afternoon we then go and catch some birds to fit tracking devices and/or take some measurements before letting them go. Then I do one last check after dinner before taking one last walk around the island before bed.
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What’s your project about?: I am researching seabirds in Scotland to find out what can cause their populations to decline, and, using tracking devices, where they go in the winter
-
Read more
Currently I am working on the behaviour and movement/ migration of a seabird species called the ‘common guillemot’ that live on an island off the East coast of Scotland.
Essentially guillemots are the Northern Hemisphere equivalent of penguins, both in how they look and in their incredible ability to dive deeply for long periods. An added bonus of guillemots (in my opinion) is that they can also fly (which penguins can’t).
I am researching what seabirds do in the winter. Though we see seabirds on land in the summer when they’re breeding and raising chicks, they actually spend most of the year at sea. Because it’s hard to observe animal at sea (1- it’s massive, 2- the weather is often quite rubbish) this means that there’s a lot we don’t about these species. If we don’t know where they are, we also won’t know what dangers they’re exposed to, like being caught in fish nets, not being able to find food, having to cope with extreme weather.
To find out where the birds are and what they’re doing in the winter we can fit birds with a very small tracking device that can also tell us whether the bird is diving (and feeding), flying, or swimming.
Using these data, in my project we are then testing how well the birds are doing in the winter, and comparing this to how well they are doing in the summer when they’re rearing their chicks. Combining these data together we can see whether the population is struggling and why (good news for those guillemots we’re trying to help).
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Have you got any videos/images of the project?:
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How will your work shape the future?:
My work will expand our knowledge of the movements and behaviour of a group of animals that, while living on all seven continents, are largely unknown.
Through furthering our understanding of the threats that these animals face, as the most rapidly-declining group of bird species, the project will help to ensure that the health of our oceans, and the animals that inhabit them remain healthy.
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Whats your website?:
This is my group’s website at the University of Liverpool:
https://seguliverpool.wixsite.com/home/sophie-bennett
See my Twitter: @bennett_sophie
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
guitar-playing seabird ecologist
What did you want to be after you left school?
I knew I wanted to work with wildlife, but wasn't quite sure how so I never had a specific job in mind. I broadly settled on wanting to be a naturalist.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Only for talking too much, which I can still be guilty of!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Pinegrove (they're an indie/ americana group from Oregon- a wonderful lockdown discovery)
What's your favourite food?
Any kind of sharing food where you can have lots of different things!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) To always be able to work in a job that I enjoy alongside a fantastic, supportive team, 2) To be able to finally play my favourite song on guitar, and 3) Currently, to be able to travel again (there's so much more wildlife to see!)
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a man with a spade on his head?....Doug!
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