A collection of photos from my PhD
Without sounding like a contestant who’s just been voted off a reality TV show, it’s been a journey. My PhD has brought me to some beautiful places and has introduced me to a range of really interesting, caring and inspiring people and communities. In the time between submitting my thesis and preparing to defend it, I decided to collate some of the photos that I have taken over the course of the last 4 years. Some are of the offices and libraries where I wrote my thesis and papers, and others of the gardens, beaches and forests that I travelled through to meet those who participated in the study. Now that I have successfully defended my PhD, I can say with confidence that I have concluded the many walks, cycles, car journeys, train rides, boat trips, and flights that took me across Ireland, the UK and beyond to collect data.
I am extremely thankful for all the time and effort that was given to me by those who I met along the way. From the coordinators of citizen science projects, their volunteers, NGO officers, local activists, policy-makers, council members, academics, scientists, and community members, I was able to engage with a diverse range of characters and learnt a huge amount about the use and value of local knowledge. Each participant showed great interest in my research and greatly contributed to the progression of my thesis. I hope that I have accurately reflected their thoughts, perceptions and concerns, and, in my future work, I will continue to call for the positive change to community engagement and marine conservation that they seek.
