Careers

Careers

Our degree programmes in climate and ocean sciences will provide you with a range of transferrable skills, so that your degree can be a foundation for an exciting and fruitful career. Our training is designed to provide you with the skills needed to work in the environment sector, as identified by employer surveys run by the Natural Environment Research Council, but thanks to their strong employability, you can find our graduates working across many sectors in the UK and abroad. 

88% of our graduates are in work or further study within 6 months of finishing their degree

Example careers of our recent graduates within the environmental sector include: the UK Met Office, the National Oceanography Centre, the Environment Agency, the UK Hydrographic Office, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), environmental consulting (e.g. Oceanwise, UTEC), the renewable energy industry (e.g. ARCUS) and many more.  

Many graduates choose to continue their studies at Masters or PhD level.  

Employment outside the environment sector makes use of the excellent transferable skills learned from an Ocean Science degree, including numeracy, risk analysis, problem solving and team work. Our graduates enjoy a wide range of careers across many sectors including the finance sector, the fashion industry, the Civil Service, the armed forces, teaching or starting their own businesses. Some example employers of our recent graduates include: Lloyds Insurance, Diesel, ROK construction and many more.

Rhian Trueman

Environmental Data Analyst

At CSX Carbon, we use drones and satellite technology alongside AI & machine learning to measure carbon across woodlands and peatlands. We are also involved in delivering and monitoring Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) which is a new policy ensuring that building developments deliver a 10% gain on biodiversity. In my role, I analyse carbon models and field data on different types of land management which provides us with an indication of how they affect the sequestration and emittance of CO2. Some of our field data is collected using the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors on a number of different Natural Capital indicators including CO2 fluxes and soil moisture. Additionally, I also assess the condition of rivers for BNG and have developed our acoustic monitoring process to help monitor biodiversity.

Robyn Owen

I graduated in 2015, and now work for the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) as a Marine Data Manager. BODC manage data produced from UK funded Ocean Science research to ensure data can be accessed and reused in the future. I have worked for BODC for nearly three years in which time I have become a project manager, attended conferences and meetings in the UK and Europe and have participated in a research cruise to the Arctic as an onboard data manager.

Interview with Robyn Owen

Jonny Chapman

I graduated in 2019, and now work as a Glider Research Technician at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences where I am responsible for a fleet of autonomous underwater gliders used for ocean research. My daily work schedule can be anything from processing data from previous missions to being out at sea onboard a research cruise in all sorts of conditions!

My degree gave me access to additional summer courses and internships throughout my time at university: I was supported by a Prof. John Riley bursary from the Murray Foundation to work with scientists from the National Oceanography Centre, and also a scholarship from the UK Associates of BIOS for an internship at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. These turned out to be invaluable experiences for making my job applications stand out. The engaging lectures delivered by the faculty in Liverpool, combined with the skills I developed during the opportunities for laboratory and fieldwork, meant I graduated with a well-rounded set of skills to pursue a graduate role.

Interview with Jonny Chapman

Rachael Sanders

The work for my PhD involves using computer models to investigate changes in the temperature and salinity of the Southern Ocean. I focus specifically on how changes in the amount of sea ice and the strength of the winds around Antarctica have impacted the surface mixed layer of the ocean in recent years. To do this, I spend much of my time writing code in order to analyse the data. I also get to travel regularly to attend conferences and courses, and have taken part in two Antarctic research cruises, where I learned to use various oceanographic equipment as well as seeing some amazing scenery. Additionally, I have just completed a three month research placement at the University of Tasmania, where I was analysing data collected under an Antarctic ice shelf by an autonomous underwater vehicle.

Interview with Rachael Sanders