My course gave me the skills and knowledge to become a research scientist

"I graduated from the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences in 2010 with a MBiolSci in Ecology. Although I originally did not want to be on the MBiolSci course, I thoroughly enjoyed the 4th year part of the course which allowed me to gain vital experience of running a live applied research project which led to the study being published at a later date. The department was exceptionally good at taking students and providing the education and support needed in order to become research scientists.

I enjoyed the applied nature of my 4th-year project, which looked for how biological trends, in my case cooling provided by rivers, could be used to assist urban environments.

Dr Tom Young

MBiolSci Ecology (now Ecology and Conservation Biology)

"The experience with Prof. Lorraine Maltby and Prof. Phil Warren was key in encouraging me to apply for PhD opportunities after my Masters. Specifically, I enjoyed the applied nature of my 4th-year project, which looked for how biological trends, in my case cooling provided by rivers, could be used to assist urban environments. I was lucky enough to be accepted onto the E-Futures DTC, a Doctoral Training Centre that specialised in renewable energy. After one year away in Mechanical Engineering I returned to Animal and Plant Sciences to complete my PhD on optimising green roof substrates for sustainable plant growth. Due to the subject area, the PhD project was very applied and also sponsored by an external company who wanted good quality scientific data to help them develop new product ranges. The applied nature of my PhD meant that I looked for applied research positions after I graduated in 2014.

"I now work for a company called STRI Group, who specialise in applied research, consultancy and design services for the sports turf sector. My job role as Technology Manager means I am now in charge of internal company research which is looking to develop and bring to market novel solutions for the sports turf market. This requires me to utilise a lot of the applied scientific mindset I gained whilst studying at Sheffield in order to ensure good quality products are developed!"