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Confessions of a Mid-Career Scientist

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It is regularly somewhat of a shock to me to realise I am no longer an "early-career scientist". At some point in the last couple of years, completely without noticing, and even using the most generous definition of ECR, I somehow slipped into the "mid-career" category. Whilst this gives rise to an unnecessary amount of life contemplation, the positive side is that it means I've got a bit of a life story. And I was honoured to be invited to share the story so far as a keynote speaker at the Society for Marine Mammalogy's UK & Ireland Regional Student Chapter (SMM UKSRC) Annual Conference last week. 

Ironically, the Student Chapter is actually part of my life story already. Back as an undergrad and marine mammal newbie, I was fortunate enough to spend some time up at the University of Aberdeen's Lighthouse Field Station. The students there were preparing to host the conference in a few months and encouraged me to come back for it, promising an experience I wouldn't regret. After bullying my best mate into registering with me, we did indeed go back - and had the most amazing week! From being the only two marine mammal addicts in our class at uni, we were suddenly surrounded by a whole host of others just like us from across the country. Totally unexpectedly, we'd discovered that we had a tribe. And that set us up for launching our actual careers in this field. 

So the chance to come full circle and go back to one of the events that kickstarted my own adventures in marine mammal science was a welcome event! Even when it minorly triggered a mid-career (mid-life?) realisation/crisis!


I won't go into the nitty gritty of my life story here (I'd hate to spoil the cinematic feature that will no doubt materialise in time!), but it took a good wander through the early years as a student at Aberdeen and St Andrews; the "random side quests that actually turned out to be professionally relevant" that encompassed science communication adventures and volunteering on research projects in Australia; the eventual PhD project and post-doc opportunities; and the sudden transition into "grown-up scientist" that came with securing permanent positions at the University of Portsmouth and eventually SRUC. It was actually really interesting to look back at this journey - retrospectively, so many pieces of the puzzle made sense in a way they never did at the time. I've always been unable to commit to the "five-year plan" mentality of career strategising, preferring to go with whatever decision seems the most fun and/or best option at the time. And whilst a linear career might work out fine for some folks, this wavy and winding route has definitely suited me! It hasn't always been easy, but it has always been valuable. And along the way, I'm lucky to have found some amazing people to share the journey with!

The key take-home messages I wanted to share were:

  • Shit happens – weather it best as you can, but always look back for the lesson (even if it is learning what not to do / who not to be)
  • Never give up on yourself – but know your own value enough to recognise when it’s time to give up on a bad situation
  • Find your tribe – sometimes not easy, but definitely worthwhile!
  • Be open to new things – who knows, you might even enjoy it!
  • Life plans are over-rated! Decisions don’t always have to make sense, but they should always make you happy 
Happily, this event also gave me the opportunity to share some exciting news! My husband and I are expecting our first child in June 2025. My first thought was obviously that this will impact the summer dolphin fieldwork, but apart from that we are delighted and looking forward to this new chapter in our life story :)  After all, the story isn't even close to finished!




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