Welcoming our first cohort of Global Fellows

The Global Fellowship Scheme provides prestigious awards to enable world-leading researchers and scholars from around the globe to spend between one and three months at the University of Brighton. During this time, they will be able to engage in productive research and build lasting collaborations.

Global Fellows will work in partnerships with University of Brighton colleagues on a joint grant application, produce a co-authored output or co-produced artefact, and share research skills and experience with researchers within our Centres of Research and Knowledge Exchange Excellence and postgraduate students.

We are looking forward to welcoming Professor Alexies Dagnino, University of Valparaiso, Chile in June, who will be collaborating with Dr Melanie Flint.

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Ecology and Conservation second-year fieldwork

Applied Ecology and Conservation Field Course module

As part of the second year Applied Ecology and Conservation Field Course module, we visited a range of local wildlife sites, such as the British Wildlife Centre, Waterhall, Knepp Estate, Rye Nature Reserve, Blue Reef Hastings and the Hastings Fisherman’s Protection Society. The module very well attended and the students continued to build a diverse skill set. Along the way there were some interesting talks on ecological processes as well as surveys and management experiences. Opportunities for further involvement in the form of volunteering or final year projects have also arisen and these offer excellent opportunities for employment. One of the highlights was the Knepp bird ringing day were we had the opportunity to get close to some amazing birds thanks to Penny, Josie and Dave.

Yellowhammer bird
Yellowhammer (photo: Zoe Lawson)
A bullfinch sitting on a hand
Bullfinch (photo: Zoe Lawson)
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Laura RubyLeave a comment
A frog in the grass

Froglife workshop and fieldwork

In November students went along to Froglife’s ‘Discovering dew ponds: Amphibian habitat management training workshops’. These sessions were run by the wonderful Jennifer Hooper and William Johanson. Split into two sessions, the first covered amphibian ID and a habitat management theory session. This included sessions on how to identify many of the amphibian species native to the UK, such as the smooth newt, and their eggs. The students were also tasked with coming up with ideas on how to make example landscapes more amphibian-friendly.

The second session was more hands-on! Despite the heavy rain, the group worked on a pond in Stanmer Park that had been struggling to hold water. This was likely due to damage to the liner underneath, so a lot of stomping was done to compact the sediment beneath the liner to prevent any water from leaking into the sediment below. These workshops were really helpful to those studying or going on to study our final year ecological consultancy Ecological Impact Assessment module, as it gives an insight into what conditions amphibians need and what their habitats might look like.

Pond in Stanmer Park

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Amy testing samples in the lab

Amy’s summer internship success

Amy Austrin secured a five-week internship as part of the Interreg REDPOL (reduction of pollution by endocrine disrupting compounds at source) project this summer, and helped Dr Wulan Koagouw in the lab. Read what Amy has to say about the skills learned during her internship.

280L of artificial seawater, 300 cleaned mussels and 120 tissue samples later…Over the last 5 weeks, I have spent some fantastic days in the laboratory with the Redpol team at the University of Brighton. It has truly been an invaluable experience.

Amy working in the lab

From day one my supervisor Wulan made me feel comfortable within the lab and talked me through the programme to make sure we could fit in two rounds of exposures within my time there. As a student who feels very comfortable doing fieldwork, I was nervous about being within the lab. Although there was a lot to learn to ensure each step was performed correctly, Wulan talked me through each process I would be performing clearly, which allowed me to feel confident to undertake the tasks correctly. Some of my responsibilities was creating the artificial seawater, pipetting tissue preservatives, setting up the cold room and the final task of dissecting the mussels for molecular and histology analysis.

Throughout the weeks, my confidence and abilities have grown in all these areas, showing that this opportunity has provided me with transferable skills for future lab experience and experimental design. Some of the essential skills gained are being aware of potential cross-contamination and learning the anatomy of mussels to identify the correct tissues for dissection.

Also, the importance of asking questions as you learn so much! I got to discuss the rationale for concentrations of each contaminant, how collaborations with other universities and researchers help inspire experimental design and the hopes for the future impacts of the research.

This internship has definitely inspired me on what I would like my future career to be. Thank you to Interreg RedPol for the opportunity!!

Take a look at our ecology degrees
Find out more about REDPOL

Laura RubyLeave a comment
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Learn more about your chosen courses

We have a number of events for offer holders and applicants giving you the chance to chat to staff and students to help you in your decision making. They’re a great way to learn more about the course you have applied for and get to know us better.

When you book we’ll show you relevant dates for your course and which campus to come to. You can also check the campus where your course is based using our course finder.

Visit us!

  • 22 March – Moulescoomb campus applicant event for architecture, technology and engineering; business and law; applied sciences; humanities and social science; media
  • 22 April- Moulescoomb campus applicant event for architecture, technology and engineering; business and law; applied sciences; humanities and social science; media

About your applicant event

Our applicant days vary but typically include a subject session, an interactive session, facilities tour, student experience talk, campus tour and accommodation tour.

You can also find out more about student life through our advice desks which are available on the day.

Find out more about the event and book your place

Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment
A hedgehog in the grass next to some apples

Garden scraps: British wildlife clash over leftover food

Badgers, hedgehogs, foxes and cats are becoming embroiled in fights and stand-offs over food left in British gardens, a study has revealed.

Wildlife conservation experts at the University of Brighton and Nottingham Trent University analysed hundreds of videos supplied by members of the public to investigate interactions within and between different species.

The researchers found that while food left by people in urban gardens – leftovers or commercially bought for this purpose – can provide benefits for wild animals, it can also bring competitors and predators into close proximity.

Continue reading “Garden scraps: British wildlife clash over leftover food” →

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Meghann Creffield head shot

My kids are so so proud of me

The Brighton Effect is that ripple of energy that grows with you during your time at the University of Brighton, and throughout your life. Uniquely individual, you carry it with you through time, careers, passions, curiosities, travel, discoveries, teaching and learnings. We spoke to Meghann Creffield, who graduated in 2020 with a degree in Applied Biomedical Science (BSc) through the degree apprenticeship route, to find out about her Brighton Effect story.

Meghann is a Biomedical Scientist, working in her local hospital’s Biochemistry department. “Becoming a Biomedical Scientist has been a dream of mine for a very long time […] I was very lucky to be granted an award for outstanding contribution to an employer by an employee. This award was granted to me for research I was facilitated to do at the Royal Sussex County Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. I helped implement a test in the biochemistry department that helps with the care of Covid positive patients. I was incredibly proud to win an award for the work I did in my degree. My kids were so so proud of me that they put a newspaper clipping about the award on the fridge!”

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Laura Hemsley headshot

Gain skills and expertise for your career on our Town Planning postgraduate degree

Laura Hemsley graduated with distinction from our Town Planning MSc and is now working as a Town Planner at Jacobs. We caught up with Laura and found out more about what drew her to postgraduate study on our Town Planning MSc and what she loved about the course.

What were you doing before your postgraduate studies at Brighton?

I had just graduated from the University of Leeds with a BSc Degree (1st Hons) in Geological Sciences.

What made you choose Town Planning at the University of Brighton?

It is RTPI and RICS Accredited – this significantly drew me to the course as it meant once I had finished the course, I could immediately apply for a Licentiate membership – which is for graduates who have completed a fully Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)I accredited qualification. Becoming a Licentiate member of the RTPI is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Town Planner via the Licentiate Assessment of Professional Competence (L-APC).

The University of Brighton offered the option module of ‘Environmental Placement’ which was the best module choice on offer as it allowed students (i.e. me) to work within either a local planning authority or the private planning sector for three months (i.e. I worked within the private planning sector). This was extremely valuable as I was able to understand planning framework and legalisation policy, planning applications in a real-life examples, which gave me the expertise and skills for a future job in planning.

Continue reading “Gain skills and expertise for your career on our Town Planning postgraduate degree” →

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