About Iris:
I am a Biology student at Swansea University, with an interest in biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the interactions between species and their environments, particularly in the context of climate change and urbanisation. I am currently undertaking a lab internship for the biodiscovery of antibiotics from marine microbes. This involves co-culturing microbes to induce the synthesis of novel bioactivities, with the assistance of high-throughput robots. Alongside this, I will assist with culturing and sequencing marine bacteria to find and produce enzymes which can degrade plastics.
This lab work complements my fieldwork experience from volunteering in the WWT Llanelli and participating in field trips in the Gower Peninsula and in Nova Scotia, Canada, during my year abroad. I am keen to apply what I learn from my studies and my internship to understanding how we can manage our ecosystems and make scientific discoveries in a sustainable way, for ourselves and the planet.
Biography
I began studying BSc Biology at Swansea University in 2023. In my second year at Swansea, I conducted a literature review to evaluate the potential for ecological restoration by reintroducing keystone species such as beavers and lynx to the UK. I spent my third year abroad on a study exchange at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada (2025-26). In my final year I will undertake a dissertation at the Wildlife & Wetland Trust (WWT) in Llanelli, focused on the bird community and climate change. I have also gained fieldwork experience outside of my course through volunteering with the WWT in Llanelli, and lab skills from my current role as a marine microbiology SPIN intern.