Sophia graduated from Durham University, UK, in 2019 with a joint honors degree in Biology and Psychology. At university, topics in human development and genetics were her favorite. Her final year literature review was titled, ‘Can Telomere Length During Fetal Development be a Predictor of Age-Related Disease?’ and centered around how changes to the telomeres of a human fetus, affected by the mother and her environment, could affect age-related diseases experienced later in life. She was very interested in how external factors at such an early stage of development can have such dramatic consequences decades later.
Sophia is also deeply interested in the marine sciences, fuelled by a love of the ocean and scuba diving. She developed a passion for marine conservation after working seasonally as a sea turtle conservationist and researcher on the island of Kefalonia, Greece, collecting data and managing volunteers in practices to help increase the sea turtle population. This work combined the protection of nests and hatchlings, analysis of embryos, tagging of adults, and rehabilitation of injured turtles.
Sophia is currently studying for an MSc in Marine Vertebrate Conservation and Ecology at the University of Exeter. She is currently working in the lab, using molecular genetic analysis to research Atlantic-wide connectivity in green turtles.
In the future, she aspires to work in research as a conservation scientist and help bring about changes as climate change and human activity have increasingly detrimental impacts on the ocean and its wildlife. She hopes she will be able to use her writing and research skills to educate others on these important issues and inspire future generations to protect nature.
In her spare time, Sophia loves to travel and explore new places, especially those by the sea.