Short cv:

Before participating in the POGO fellowship and AMT28, I completed my masters in applied ocean sciences at the University of Cape Town. My degree comprised of part coursework and part dissertation. The coursework involved modules in scientific computing, statistics and fieldwork. During my degree, I had the unique opportunity to participate in two research cruises. The first cruise involved going from South Africa south to Antarctic pack ice during the austral winter. The second cruise involved sampling the SAMBA line which is a cruise line from Cape Town to South America (Montevideo). Following the two cruises, I completed my dissertation at the start of 2018. My dissertation involved looking at winter changes in hydrography in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) of the Antarctic using southern elephant seal data provided by MEOP (Marine Mammals Exploring the Oceans Pole to Pole).

After the POGO fellowship, I am set to start my PhD with the University of Cape Town and the CSIR (The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research). My PhD will involve  Southern Ocean spatio-temporal variability in phytoplankton community characteristics, ocean CO2 fluxes , primary production,  and biogeochemistry and the effects of ice- shelf-ocean interactions to biogeochemistry (ACOBIOCI). I believe that the POGO fellowship and AMT28 will provide me with invaluable hands on experience with the equipment I may use during my studies and also improve my understanding of biogeochemical processes and phytoplankton community structures.