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Muriel Plaster

mp775@exeter.ac.uk

 

German

 

MurielPlaster

Education

2021 – present      

2017 – 2021     

2008 – 2016     

2004 – 2008     

MSc Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation, Exeter University, UK

BSc Marine Ecology, Wageningen University, Netherlands

High School, Gymnasium Hankensbüttel, Germany

Primary School Radenbeck, Germany

Grants & Scholarships

  • Grant from The Fona Foundation for Research on Nature Conservation for my BSc research project

  • Global Excellence Scholarship from Exeter University for my Postgraduate course

Experience

April –

July 2022

MSc thesis on using fisher’s local ecological knowledge to create a baseline assessment of Belize’s common snook populations

  • Worked in partnership with the Belizean NGO MarAlliance

  • Designed surveys and lead interviews with fishers across Belize

  • Wrote risk assessments and ethics forms for fieldwork abroad

  • Assisted with MarAlliance’s annual shark and turtle monitoring

  • Acquired skills in longlining and tagging sharks, tagging turtles with flipper and satellite tags, deploying Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUVs), and conducting Underwater Visual Census (UVCs)

  • Extended knowledge in leading fieldwork, fieldwork logistics, data entry and analysis

Oct 2020   

BSc thesis on trace metal accumulation in turtlegrass and green sea turtles on Curaçao, Caribbean

  • Independently organized and carried out fieldwork in the Caribbean

  • Worked closely with the local Sea Turtle Conservation NGO

  • Analyzed trace metals in seagrass and blood and fat tissue of turtles using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

Jan 2020   

Internship at Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management chair group, Wageningen University

  • Examined different ecosystem services of Caribbean seagrass ecosystems

  • Analyzed and calculated the decomposition rate in seagrass sediments, assessed fish and invertebrate abundance via video traps and determined productivity rates of seagrass leaves

  • Worked independently with data and analysis processes

Aug 2019   

Internship at the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute in Galicia, Spain

  • Conducted land- and boat-based field research along the Galician coast

  • Extended knowledge about GIS and diet analysis

  • Obtained skills in bioacoustics analysis, photo-ID and database entry

Sep 2019 - 

Aug 2020

Technical laboratorian at Eurofins Analytico B.V. in Barneveld, The Netherlands

  • Worked as part of a team with colleges from different backgrounds and nationalities

  • Prepared soil and water samples for further analysis and acquired logistical skills

  • Entrusted with proposing improvements for a more efficient workflow

Oct 2018 - 

Feb 2020

Divemaster at Discovery Divers in the Netherlands

  • Gained skills on how to independently guide costumers underwater and be responsible for their safety

  • Organized and hosted diving events for the local dive community

  • Gave and assisted with courses, specifically working with new Open Water students that are anxious or have trouble with certain skills

Jul -

Aug 2018

PADI Divemaster Internship & PADI Master Scuba Diver

  • Acquired dive knowledge and became very confident being and working underwater

  • Learned how to solve common problems under water and prevent risks

  • Motivate and inspire other people for the fascinating underwater world

Professional Skills

Extracurricular Activities

  • PADI Divemaster

  • making short-films, video abstracts, infographics

  • Accredited Wildlife Save Operator

  • JNCC Marine Mammal Observer

  • Field course coordinator accreditation 

  • Emergency First Responder

  • Powerboat level 2 license

  • International driver’s license

  • Computer Skills:

    • MS Office

    • R

    • SPSS

    • QGIS 

  • Languages: 

    • German (native speaker)

    • English (fluent)

    • Dutch (fluent)

    • French (basic)

  • Postgraduate Course Representative Exeter University

  • Student Union Crew member

  • Generation Wild member (environmental education project)

  • SCUBA, freediving, trail running, yoga, photography, cooking

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
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