Reef encounter

Date: 20 September 2010

BU's Sally Keith goes down under.

Swapping rocky shores for coral reefs at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

Ecology PhD student swaps the rocky shores of Southern England for the coral reefs of Australia.

A Bournemouth University PhD student has been offered a fantastic post doctoral fellowship studying coral reef biodiversity in Australia.

Sally Keith will take up her new position at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, based at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, in January 2011

Sally explained: “I will be particularly focusing on large scale questions, such as the process by which the number of species we see in certain geographic areas might change under the influence of human disturbance or climate change.” She continued: “Knowledge from this research can be used to inform conservation, and is especially relevant to management of the Great Barrier Reef.”

During her PhD at the School of Applied Sciences, Sally studied the impacts of environmental change on the ecology of woodlands and intertidal rocky shores in southern England.

Sally said: “I loved studying for my PhD and had a great team of supervisors who have guided me towards becoming an independent researcher. I am really grateful to Bournemouth University for the studentship that has got me to this point.”

Throughout her PhD Sally actively used the media to promote her research. She featured on BBC radio and in the Observer and the New Scientist among others.

This proactive approach impressed Sally’s future employers. She said: “The Centre tries to make their work accessible to all members of society and the media is important in achieving this. My media experience was noted as a useful skill.”

Sally can’t wait to take up her new post, which she describes as her dream job. “I feel really lucky to have this opportunity to work with top researchers in the field on such an amazing habitat,” she said.