Jess, please introduce yourself.
Hi, I'm Jess Richt a Programme Support Officer at British Antarctic Survey.
Tell us about your professional and academic career before becoming part of the OCEAN ICE community.
My academic background is in science! I did a BSc in Zoology in London, I have always loved animals and became more interested in the topic as I grew up, and similar topics including Biology, ecology and sustainability! Unfortunately, my last year of university was coming to an end just as Covid began. Before moving to a career working in Project management and post award, I started in laboratory's testing water samples and then moved to doing statistical analysis for a private medical education company! Since working at BAS I have had to the opportunity to gain my PRINCE2 qualification.
What do you do within OCEAN ICE?
I joined OCEAN ICE in the last 3 years of the project on WP9, working on Project coordination, dissemination and outreach. As part of WP9, I am responsible for coordinating project meetings and events, managing participant logistics, delivering project communications across multiple channels including social media posts, newsletters and website content, as well as processing invoices and other financial administration tasks, and supporting stakeholder and partner engagement activities.
What have you enjoyed about OCEAN ICE so far?
Participation in this large EU project has broadened my experience by exposing me to new procedures and project management practices. It has also enabled me to build working relationships with a wide range of the project consortium, while providing opportunities to travel to annual project meetings held in Copenhagen.
Tell us about a skill or trait unique to you that you would like to share?
I love learning new things and continuously developing my skills. When I commit to a task, I am determined to see it through to completion. Outside of work, I enjoy watercolour painting, and two years ago I painted all the Christmas cards for my team. I also love coming up with new vegetarian dishes and walking my Dachshund!
Stay tuned on our social media channels (X, Mastodon, LinkedIn and Bluesky) for more of the series of OCEAN ICE 'Researcher in the Spotlight' articles.