A love of the ocean and urge to address climate change has led to a fascinating career as a Coastal Scientist for alumna Sophie Buck.
Sophie, 23, a graduate in Geology who also holds a Masters in Oceanography from the University of Southampton, is now building a career with Mott Macdonald, one of the biggest civil engineering companies in the world. As a member of their Ports, Coasts and Offshore team, she develops Coastal Change Adaptation plans, most recently for the Orkney Island Council.
A 70-island archipelago situated 20 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland, the Orkneys are experiencing rising sea levels, increased rainfall and other climate-related events that post significant risks to their environment, economy and way of life. Said Sophie, who is recently back from a two-week fact-finding trip: “Our job is to work with the local council to identify which areas might be at risk of flooding or coastal erosion, and put in place plans and flood defences to protect them.” She also attends stakeholder events to educate islanders about how climate change may affect them and the measures they can take to mitigate its effects.
It’s a dream career for Sophie, who enjoys the communications aspect of the role as much as the field work: “I’ve always loved being outdoors, especially by the sea. With its focus on physics, geology, geography and climate change, the job is everything I love rolled into one.”
A qualified scuba diver, Sophie is just as happy under the sea as she is observing it from above. She has filmed tiger shark behaviour in the Philippines, contributed to a turtle conservation project in Sri Lanka and taken part in projects to map the sea floor. That experience will certainly come in handy; among Mott Macdonald’s other projects worldwide are undersea cabling in Belize and floating solar farms in Taiwan, both of which Sophie would love to work on.
We look forward to seeing where Sophie’s journey takes her next – above and below the waves – as she continues to help shape a more resilient future for vulnerable coastlines around the world.
