Green Talent Rachel Kelly
Every year the German Federal Ministry of Education an Research honors students from around the world for their innovative green ideas from various fields of research and therefore promotes an international exchange. Find out more about Rachel Kelly in the following brief interview.
What do you find most fascinating about your work as a marine biologist?
Growing up in Ireland, I've always had near access to the sea and have been interested and passionate about the ocean and sea-life from a young age. Working on marine research in adulthood is a dream come true! I love how inter-connected every part of my work is. The oceans and seas are part of one big network and every discovery leads to new ones, most often when you least expect. I think it's this diversity, as well as the beauty of the ocean environments, that fascinates me the most.
Rachel Kelly is a PhD Student in Marine Socio-Ecology (25, Ireland). By linking social license with citizen science in her research, Rachel Kelly aims to increase engagement and sustainable development in the marine sector and in the fishing industry.
What is the role of citizens and citizen science in your work?
With the rise of social media, citizens have increasing access to information and also a new platform on which to raise their voices and opinions. There are many different perspectives on ocean sustainability, that depend on the interaction and impacts communities feel from these programmes. I'm aiming to understanding how social licence can be used to bridge communication gaps between the many users of the ocean environment. I will explore community understandings of citizen science, recreational and commercial fisheries and marine protected areas and determine how we can use this information to improve ocean management.
What new opportunities do you have in Germany as a Green Talent?
Green Talents has provided me with this amazing opportunity to meet with like-minded early career researchers, to share our ideas and to teach one another about our different research and our very different backgrounds! It's also been so eye-opening to explore German research and to see the great work that institutes in Germany are achieving.
Further information
Please refer to www.greentalents.de for further information about the background of the program as well as this year's awardees.
