Student Achievement / Success Story

I started my professional journey during my Bachelors at AIMST, India from where I got the unique experience of working in FAO on a novel photobioreactor for the culture of microalgae in high densities as part of my industrial training and in Saudi-ARAMCO, working on the Diatomic species Amphorain a thin layer photobioreactorwhich proved instrumental in enhancing my exposure to R & D culminating in an internship at Ghent University, Belgiumat the ARC lab instituted by the distinguished Prof. Patrick Sorgeloos, on bioactive enzymes as an exchange student towards the end of my Bachelors.

I chose the same university and lab to do my Masters in Aquaculture despite other offers from UK, Germany and Vietnam, some with scholarships. My time at Ghent University gave me international exposure with peers from all 6 continents of the globe enhancing my multi-cultural affableness. During my time at Ghent University, I traveled to Spain for an internship on Harmful Algal Blooms in IRTA research station under Dr. Margarita Fernandez to work on Karlodiniumarmiger, culturing the Algae and conducting bioassay tests on Mussels and Oysters. After my internship, I got a scholarship from the Elizabeth and Amelie fund of the King Baudouin Foundation, Belgium to do my thesis in Ecuador which involved the use of Sarcocornia plants, Avicenniagerminans mangroves, Striostrea prismaticaoysters and Kappaphycusalvareziiseaweed as bioremediation for the secondary and tertiary treatment of shrimp effluents.

Currently, I am working as a Business Aquaculture Specialist at Aqua Bridge Group where I am involved in multiple projects, have conducted feasibilities for governmental and private companies in the Arabian Gulf and was instrumental in proposals for hatcheries and farms both in the Arabian Gulf and beyond. I also function as an associate consultant for Sea cucumber, Australia, Al Abdely Consulting, Omanand Sofos Aqua Consulting, India on call. I eagerly look forward to diversifying my expertise allowing me continue my learning process

I did my bachelor's in Marine Science at Amity Institute of Marine Science and Technology (AIMST) from Amity University (Noida, India). My undergraduate education and the experience I gained through internship and summer training played a major role in my decision to take up higher studies in Aquatic Science. Following this, I joined an inter-university master's in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management with Vrije University Brussels, Ghent University, and University of Antwerp in September 2016. Here, I took courses ranging from governance and policy, remote sensing technology, and stakeholder interviews, to the study of aquatic biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems. In continuation to my master's I joined Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ, Belgium). My major involvement was on the Genetic tools for Ecosystem health Assessment (GEANS) Interreg North Sea project along with three other minor projects on marine data archiving and analysis. This experience significantly improved my skills in scientific communication, made me a good team player and enhanced my task management skills. My most recent work experience is at GIST Advisory Private Limited (Mumbai) on ecosystem valuation. I developed and delivered a framework on monetary calculation of provisional and regulatory services provided by Indian forest lands. Alongside, I also delivered a draft on inventory of parameters for measuring sustainable fisheries and transportation practices with respect to Sustainable Development Goals 14: Life under water. I have thorough experience in R programming and in utilizing Microsoft Excel for secondary data analysis. Along with it, I also have experience in policy brief writing, reviewing research papers, scientific communication, project management and data mining from various environmental projects. I strive to work further on ecosystem assessment and impact analysis in future.

Name of the student: F Lalhmangaihzuali
Programm: M.Sc Marine Science

She was awarded Rs 10,000/-in cash by the Govt. of Mizorum during her summer internship from June-july, 2022