Student Projects

Since 2001, the Sea Watch Foundation has been running, with funds from a variety of sources (Natural Resources Wales, EU Interreg, Heritage Lottery Fund, and Postcode Local Trust), research projects in Cardigan Bay aimed at monitoring the bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise and grey seal populations of the Bay and in Cardigan Bay and Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). Line-transect distance-sampling surveys have also been conducted in the Celtic Deep and St George’s Channel in past years with the aim of describing distribution and abundance of common dolphins and baleen whales. Throughout these years, a number of MSc and BSc students have participated in our on-going studies collecting data for their thesis, or analyzing those already archived by Sea Watch in previous years. There have also been two successful PhD projects co-supervised by the SWF Director and staff from Bangor University.

Several MSc or BSc project are offered each year.

In addition, other projects can be considered if they fit within the current research programme. The students are under the supervision of one or more Sea Watch staff, depending on the project selected. Sea Watch offers places on the research boat and access to the equipment used for the data collection, as well as space in the Welsh office with free internet connection. Our databases are available for the students, in exchange for which they are required to help with the data collection and inputting on computer during the field season.

If you are interested in applying to do you MSc or BSc thesis with the Sea Watch Foundation, please contact:

Professor Peter Evans

For projects specifically in Cardigan Bay, contact:

Katrin Lohrengel