Jason Argent MRes Ocean Science, 2010

Marine Taxonomist, APEM Ltd

I started my course after a year out following my undergraduate degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology. I liked the look of the course at Southampton as I wanted to get into deep sea research and the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS) looked and felt like a world-class research institute when I came for my interview.

As well as studying for my MRes, I was able to volunteer to help out the Hampshire Wildlife Trust and New Forest National Park in beach safaris and shoresearch surveys along the coast.

Postgraduate study was a lot more challenging than undergraduate study, particularly with my course focusing so much on the research project. This makes the course and the department good for anyone wishing to pursue a career in research, but I would advise anyone thinking of taking on a masters degree to make sure they want to do it, as it is not an easy option. I enjoyed Boat Week in the first semester as it gave me a chance to carry out some specimen and data collection on a boat, something I had not been able to do much in the past. The research project was also very enjoyable while challenging me at the same time. I was able to volunteer along with people associated with the aquarium at NOCS to help out the Hampshire Wildlife Trust and New Forest National Park in beach safaris and shoresearch surveys along the coast.

The staff are on the whole very friendly and approachable and the staff in the postgraduate office are incredibly organised. There are a diverse range of subjects to study in Ocean and Earth Science at Southampton and I enjoyed learning about geology, chemical oceanography, and deep sea ecology as I had not been able to study these before.

Since 2013, I have worked as a Marine Taxonomist for APEM Ltd.