My Â鶹´«Ã½ Story: Building a graduate career in ecology with Aoife Codyre
April 27, 2023
Aoife, graduate ecologist, shares how she brings her passion for the outside world, people, and communities to her projects
In the My Â鶹´«Ã½ Story series, our designers, engineers, marketers, project managers, and leaders come together to share how their career journeys at Â鶹´«Ã½ have shaped their lives and moved them closer to their goals.
Tell us about your role¡
I joined Â鶹´«Ã½ in July 2022 as a graduate ecologist in the water team in the south of England. My role involves undertaking ecological assessments for proposed projects to establish that ecological risks are identified and mitigated, and ecological enhancement opportunities are optimised. Although based in the Brighton office, I¡¯m involved in many projects across the UK and Ireland, where my role feeds into the early stages of development plans to inform development designs where possible.
What attracted you to a career at Â鶹´«Ã½?
While completing my master¡¯s degree in applied wildlife conservation, I spoke to several ecological consultants with different experiences in various organisations. Based on their experiences, I narrowed down the type of organisation I wanted to be a part of and Â鶹´«Ã½ fulfilled the values I sought¡ªlike the focus on people and community, which is important to me.
I¡¯ve also always enjoyed travelling, and joining an international company with an opportunity to travel was high on my priority list. Already there¡¯s been opportunities to move as far afield as New Zealand for similar roles, not to mention other departments both locally and internationally.?
Share
What do you enjoy most about your role?
What I enjoy most about my role is spending time outside undertaking hands-on fieldwork and learning from experienced colleagues from various backgrounds, both within ecology and from different disciplines. I like to see the incorporation of my assessment and recommendations coming to fruition throughout the various life stages of a project¡¯s development.
How has your personal and professional development been supported at Â鶹´«Ã½?
As part of the graduate programme, Â鶹´«Ã½ generated a personality profile for me that identifies my strengths and weaknesses as I develop myself in personal and professional environments. Drawing on identified interests, I serve as the sports and social rep for the Brighton office where I organise inclusive sports and social activities. As a bonus, developing a community within the office allows me to network further with colleagues from different departments.
Stantec encourages me to champion aquatic ecology and macroinvertebrates, subject areas I am passionate about, and supports me in developing my knowledge and skills on these topics. The Company also supports professional development through promoting professional membership to work towards chartership.
What has been the standout project for you during your time at Â鶹´«Ã½?
I¡¯ve worked on a river restoration project in east Anglia. Currently in its design stage, the project aims to improve the ecological status of waterbodies within the region. Following various ecological surveys onsite and through desk-based research, I provided the ecological constraints and enhancement opportunities for the waterbodies and surrounding environments to inform the design plans. I¡¯m keen to continue working with the design team to optimise ecological opportunities within the project as work progresses.
I like to see the incorporation of my assessment and recommendations coming to fruition throughout the various life stages of development.
What are your ambitions for the future at Â鶹´«Ã½?
Gaining experience with a wide range of projects and learning from experienced ecologists will help me work towards chartership¡ªI hope to grow within my current team and upskill within my specialised area to strengthen our overall capabilities. I also hope to get involved in some research work surrounding aquatic ecology, should the opportunity arise.
What are your passions outside of work?
I enjoy hiking, running, playing hockey, and sea swimming in my spare time. Luckily within my role at Â鶹´«Ã½, I¡¯m allowed the opportunity to extend my passion for the outdoors in my personal life into my work life.
Why should others join the Â鶹´«Ã½ team?
Over my time at Â鶹´«Ã½, I¡¯ve found that there¡¯s a big focus on well-being, inclusivity, and work-life balance¡ªthere¡¯s a great feeling of community and support here. Even though the graduate programme is extremely useful in supporting early careers, I¡¯d strongly urge people to look into Â鶹´«Ã½ at any stage of their career.
At Â鶹´«Ã½, we put people first, and for graduate Aoife that means supporting her development and providing opportunities for a varied and fulfilling long-term career at Â鶹´«Ã½. If you want to start your career at Â鶹´«Ã½, visit Graduates & Apprentices?to find out more.?