FERD externship programme
Here you can find info about the early career researchers who are involved in this pilot externship programme.
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In 2024 the UiB Ferd Career Center for Early Stage Researchers started a pilot externship programme, in collaboration with SEAS. Many of our fellows - and indeed, other early stage researchers from across the university, have a desire to explore the world outside academia and take a peek at what the world of industry looks like.
And SEAS comes pre-packed with many interesting local industry and business partners!
Below you will find out a bit about each of the early career researchers taking part in this pilot programme.
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Juan Manuel Valero Rodríguez
Availability: Autumn 2024, early 2025 | Externship keywords: Analysis, modelling, cultures, reports, GIS, communication... and an open mind to learn much more Skills keywords: Common garden, Stats, Lab work, field work, Taxonomy, writing. Bio: I identify strengths and weaknesses of identified coastal species, compare their fitness levels with different predictors, stats techniques, researcher consensus and pick the best ones to survive human impacts and future adverse predictions. My tools involve lab and field techniques, writing cohesion and lots of patience. I like to make the job environment a nice place to develop skills and good mood. Occasionally I teach large audiences of different ages about my work. I often choose my words carefully. While this is great, during my free time my hobbies involve reading, collecting and enjoying rainy days outdoors or indoors. |
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Paul Dees
Availability: Autumn 2024 onwards | Externship keywords: data analysis, biology and physical interactions, lab and/or fieldwork, aquaculture Skills keywords: statistics, computer programming, data analysis, plankton identification Bio: I study how marine phytoplankton and zooplankton changes over time, and how abundance and distribution are affected by physical properties like temperature, wind, currents, salinity and nutrients. I do this by applying knowledge of statistics, models and ecology to available plankton data records. These physical properties of the Ocean are experiencing more change than in the past, in line with changes to the global climate. Knowing more about how this will impact plankton will help us to plan how to interact with the ocean more sustainably. |
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Virginie Comorge
| Externship keywords: Communication, mentorship, project management, consulting, biology, environment. Skills keywords: investigating, presenting, mentoring, documenting, problem-solving, deductive reasoning. Bio: I am a molecular biologist working in the lab since my master's degree. I have worked on plant-pathogen interactions during my PhD and now I am focusing on the interaction between salmon and one of its parasites, the salmon louse. I love working in a lab, designing and performing experiments to answer biological questions, optimizing protocols and understanding why it works or why it does not. I am also interested in communication, ranging from presenting topics, new methods, or results to mentoring people, especially when it comes to presentation skills. |
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Katrina Nilsson-Kerr
Availability: Autumn 2024 | Externship keywords: Project management, project planning, sustainability, environment, industry, policy Skills keywords: written and oral communication, analytical thinking, independent working and working collaboratively/in a team, project management, data analysis Bio: I am highly motivated, results-driven, and structured, with the ability prioritize and plan realistically. I thrive working both within a team and exerting initiative in independent working. My background in academia has provided me with a solid foundation in project management and development, the ability to work with the minutiae and with large datasets, and an ability to quickly familiarise myself with a variety of new complex information. Throughout my career to date I have honed my verbal and written communications skills having had to present research to my peers and distil and synthesize scientific concepts to multidisciplinary audiences.
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Paul Thomas
Availability: flexible | Externship keywords: Materials Engineering, Energy and Environmental Applications, Sustainability, Corrosion and Biofouling Protection, Energy storage devices, Water Treatment, Nanotechnology, 3D Printing Skills keywords: Material Characterisation, Composite synthesis, Electrochemistry Testing, Instrumentation, Coating Technologies, 3D printing Documentation, Data Analysis, Project Coordination, Application Coordination
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Aina Marie Johannessen
Availability: Flexible | Externship keywords: Project planning, community engagement, data science, collaborative leadership, goal-driven projects, consulting, meteorology. Skills keywords: Mathematical/fluid dynamic modeling, mentoring, communication, practical and analytical work. Bio: I contribute to a team investigating atmospheric processes through numerical modeling and fieldwork. I delivered and communicated custom-fit visualizations of local weather situations at fieldwork sites and updated a pollution model to serve our needs in air-mass tracking. Previous work has also involved numerical fluid simulation and analyzing local flooding events. My daily work includes programming tasks and sharing insights during weekly meetings. I also teach and supervise a master's project. I enjoy guiding others, value open and clear communication, and prefer tasks that benefit others or a larger group/community. I thrive in socially engaging collaborative projects with clear goals. |
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Zoran Sargac
Availability: Nov 2024 - Feb 2025 | Externship keywords: environmental impact assessment, aquaculture, marine protected areas, communication, GIS, report and proposal writing, science policy Skills keywords: project management, taxonomy, data analysis, field and laboratory work, analytical thinking, designing experiments, modelling Bio: As a marine ecologist, I specialized in larval biology and investigating how climate change and parasites affect marine ecosystems. I enjoy solving environmental problems by testing them in the laboratory, gathering field data, and analysing existing research. I am keen to learn more about disseminating the findings to the public and industrial sector to make a positive environmental impact and encourage more sustainable management of marine habitats. My main areas of interest are the ecology of the coastal and deep-sea areas, novel solutions in aquaculture and fisheries, science policy making, offshore wind farms, and the consequences of human activities. |
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Gillian Damerell
Availability: Autumn 2024 onwards | Externship keywords: oceanography, fieldwork, communication, trouble-shooting, equality and diversity, team work Skills keywords: written and oral communication, project management, data analysis, problem solving, mentoring, working collaboratively Bio: I am a physical oceanographer specialising in the Antarctic and Nordic Seas. I work primarily with observational data, especially from emerging technologies like ocean gliders and unmanned surface vehicles, to understand processes in the ocean such as turbulence and eddy merging. I enjoy working with emerging technologies and trouble-shooting the inevitable start-up problems! I thrive while working in a team, especially during fieldwork, and also enjoy mentoring others to improve their skills and self-confidence. I’m also passionate about equality and diversity, and support efforts to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups working in marine science. |
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Konstanze Haubner
Availability: Autumn 2024 onwards | Externship keywords: data processing and visualization, team work, mentoring, collaborative leadership Skills keywords: computer programming, analytical thinking, conceptual understanding, knowledge dissimination, mentoring and advising Bio: In my work as a climate scientist, I mostly simulate how the present climate will affect the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. I enjoy evaluating data and simulation results as much as presenting and discussing them. My background is applied mathematics and I enjoy working on socially conscious projects. I am therefore interested in a wide range of subjects, particularly when working in a cohesive team. I speak English, Danish, German and constantly improving my Norwegian.
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Frida Snilstveit Hoem
| Externship keywords: Practical and analytical work, policy, science communications and advise, environmental impact assessment, geoengineering, teaching, report and proposal writing Skills keywords: Diligent, creative, field/lab/data analytics, written and oral communication, mentoring, problem solving, networking Bio: I´m a marine scientist currently analysing sediments and microfossils to unravel the Atlantic and Southern Ocean circulation and ability to absorb and release carbon during past periods of warm climate. My eagerness to learn and making a difference has put me on several multidisciplinary and international committees, teams and boards. Where project managing, presenting, budget handling, funding application, operating websites, networking and organizing meeting and events were central. I ´d like to use my strong analytical, creative and social abilities to gather, distil, debate, and share complex information to the public/industry/government sector to find solutions and utilize opportunities. |
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Shreesha
Availability: Autumn 2024 onwards | Externship keywords: Aquaculture, biology, environment, communication, proposal writing Skills keywords: Lab work, field work, Taxonomy, writing, mentoring, documenting, problem-solving, problem-solving. Bio: I am a veterinarian specializing in fish immunology and vaccinology, focusing on host-pathogen interactions to combat infectious diseases in aquaculture. With expertise in fish husbandry, molecular biology, in-vivo infectious challenge models, and gene expression analysis, I have developed vaccines targeting biofilm formation, quorum sensing, and immune modulation. My research uses multidimensional transcriptomic studies to explore immune responses during infection. Through collaborations with industry and academic partners, I aim to translate these findings into innovative, sustainable solutions for disease prevention, ultimately contributing to healthier and more resilient fish populations. |
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Mauro
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Daniel
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Samaneh
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Amit
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Liaqat
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Damaris
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Israel
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Jamilur
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Ferd Externships include:
- 1 - 2 days of pre-training - non-academic CVs, interviews, skills, expectations etc
- 3 - 4 days of job shadowing in a company - either private or public sector
- half day de-brief - following up on the experience, discussing competences and prospects
Interested in hosting an extern?
Get in touch with the Ferd team here: ferd@uib.no
