Conor Ellis

Conor highlights the importance of community at university and how fieldwork in Amsterdam led the way to his future career.

In your current position, what are your main responsibilities?

I lead Dynamic Earth's learning and engagement programmes and manage the science learning and engagement service. This involves developing programming strategies and plans for how we deliver our charitable mission with audiences across Scotland and managing and developing people to deliver our results and key priority areas.

Did you get into this role right after graduation?

No...so after my undergraduate degree, I went on to do my MSc and then entered the world of graduate employment after that. I worked as a Science Communicator and Science Kids' Club Supervisor as a student, and I got my first graduate-level job when I was completing my MSc. Since then, I've worked in a wide variety of cultural organisations including Glasgow Science Centre, Dynamic Earth, National Museums Scotland and the Edinburgh Science Festival.

What part of your role do you find most satisfying?

I really enjoy working with an amazing team of colleagues who are passionate and committed about what they do and how they do it on the subject of Earth Sciences, which is so important in the context of the planetary emergency. My job has a lot of variety and a lot of challenges, so I find that really rewarding and motivating. We also get to work in very close collaboration with amazing scientists and colleagues from across the cutting edge of environmental science; including colleagues here at The University of Edinburgh.

What part of your role do you find most challenging?

It's the absolute classic of making amazing things happen on limited budgets! There's no shortage of ambition or aspiration - it's just having the resourcing to make it all a reality.

Do you have any advice for students looking for a career in your field?

It's all about building your bank of experience. I think the reason my career progression has been what it has is because I worked in relevant roles and volunteered as a student, which gave me a good springboard for graduate employment, and to say that I already have a great knowledge of your sector and what you do.

Why did you choose The University of Edinburgh and what did you discover while studying here?

I was attracted to The University of Edinburgh because of its reputation and the range of different ways I could specialise in my Geography degree. I really wanted to study physical and human geography throughout each year of my study and Edinburgh let me do that.

What was the highlight of your studies?

I really developed as a person - as cheesy as that sounds - throughout my time at Edinburgh. I really felt that I developed and was challenged intellectually at each stage of my degree, and my confidence as a person grew year after year as well. The highlight of my degree was probably the fieldwork I completed in my third year in Amsterdam - which really gave me the nudge to focus on museums, storytelling and interpretation which is what I later went into in my professional life as well.

Do you have any advice for current students?

You will have highs and lows; let those highs carry you through the lows and know that there are always people in the university community who will help you, because that's a community that you are a part of, and where you matter.