Welcome Message – MSc Global Biodiversity Conservation
Dear Students,
A very warm welcome to Swansea University and to the MSc Global Biodiversity Conservation programme!
My name is Dr Aisling Devine, and I am the Programme Director for the MSc programme. I’ll be responsible for ensuring your time with us runs smoothly, and that you have the best possible student experience. I’ll also be here to help support your transition into postgraduate study and guide you through your academic journey over the coming year.
We’re really looking forward to welcoming you in person and integrating you into our Biosciences department. During Welcome Week, you’ll take part in an induction session where you'll meet fellow students and key staff. We’ll also be holding a range of biosciences-related social and academic events throughout the year to help you feel part of our community right from the start.
Throughout the programme, you’ll engage with lectures, fieldwork, and hands-on practical sessions delivered by world-leading researchers in biodiversity and conservation. You will also be assigned an academic tutor who will support your personal and academic development as you progress through your postgraduate studies.
If you have any questions ahead of your arrival, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on a.p.devine@swansea.ac.uk.
We can't wait to meet you and welcome you into the Department of Biosciences
Best wishes,
Aisling
Welcome Message – MSc Marine Restoration and Conservation
Dear Students,
A very warm welcome to Swansea University, and to the MSc Marine Restoration and Conservation programme!
My name is Dr Aisling Devine, and I am the Programme Director for this course. I’ll be responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly and that you have an excellent student experience throughout your time with us. I’m also here to help support your transition to postgraduate study and guide you through the exciting year ahead.
We are especially excited to welcome you to this brand-new programme—a world-first MSc focused specifically on marine restoration. You are joining us at a pivotal moment in marine science, as the UN has declared this decade, the decade for ecosystem restoration.
You’ll have the opportunity to explore vital concepts in marine restoration and conservation through lectures, fieldwork, lab sessions, and boat-based practical work. Our teaching is delivered by world-leading researchers and practitioners in marine science, ensuring you receive cutting-edge knowledge and hands-on experience throughout the year.
During Welcome Week, you’ll take part in an induction session to meet your fellow students and key academic staff. We’ll also be holding a range of marine and biosciences-related social and academic events to help you settle in, build connections, and feel fully part of our departmental community.
You’ll also be assigned an academic tutor who will support you throughout the programme and help guide your academic and personal development as a postgraduate student.
If you have any questions before you arrive, please feel free to contact me on a.p.devine@swansea.ac.uk
Once again, welcome—we can't wait to meet you and begin this exciting year together.
With best wishes,
Aisling
Welcome from the MRes Programme Director
A warm welcome to the ‘Masters by Research’ Postgraduate Research Programme in Biosciences. Postgraduate research studies are very different to your experience at university so far as you will be working much more independently to develop your research skills that then lead you to a dissertation and viva. Therefore, whether you have been an undergraduate student at Swansea University or come from further afield, our induction programme will be invaluable to help guide your understanding of the MRes degree programme and how to obtain help from different academic and administrative departments in the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE).
The induction talks set out your roadmap for the next 12 months of study. Immediately after induction, students start three taught modules to provide them with a range of core science skills (including research methods, data analysis and scientific writing) that underpin selection and decision-making in December to design and conduct a 9 month research project from January-September.
Please ensure you attend all scheduled induction activities and especially my programme induction talk, health and safety to help prepare for project work and, most importantly, the social get-together to meet your course mates and academic staff. We look forward to meeting you and discussing your research interests to kick start your project discussions with potential supervisors.
Dr Nicole Esteban
Programme Director, MRes Bioscience
