Laura Wicks BSc Marine Biology with Oceanography2004

I graduated in July 2004 with a first class degree in oceanography with marine biology, and I found the benefits of having a degree from the University of Southampton have been outstanding. Following my BSc I undertook a masters in marine environmental protection at the University of Wales, followed by a PhD in New Zealand. For both of these degrees I received prestigious funding from the Natural Environment Research Council and the Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme, which I feel is facilitated by the fact I have a Southampton degree, seen as the top place to study ocean sciences in the UK. Additionally, the application process for both of these scholarships was greatly helped by my National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS) supervisors, who gave me great references, and the encouragement during my time there to continue my studies. I enjoyed my time at the NOCS. It was such a friendly and encouraging atmosphere, and it was a great place to be based, with its excellent facilities and teaching standards.

I enjoyed my time at the NOCS. It was such a friendly and encouraging atmosphere, and it was a great place to be based, with its excellent facilities and teaching standards.

I submitted my PhD thesis in New Zealand, on the ecology and physiology of high latitude corals. During my PhD I was lucky enough to travel to a variety of places to complete fieldwork and attend conferences, including Hawaii, Australia and Palmyra Atoll. I have worked in collaboration with the Centre for Marine Studies at the University of Queensland, as well as the University of Technology, Sydney.

In many of my experiences since graduating, such as international conferences and collaborations, the fact that I completed my undergraduate at Southampton has been extremely well received. I learnt a great deal during my time; the freedom of choice of modules meant that I could specialise in marine biology, in which I am most interested. I feel that the combination of oceanography and marine biology gave me greater knowledge than a straight degree in marine biology would, as I now have a broad understanding of the chemical and physical processes controlling the biology of the oceans.