Claire discusses the role of a metocean analyst at ABPmer (2015-2016).

Name & Professional Registration

Claire Cardy CSci CMarSci MIMarEST

IMarEST Membership Status (Student, Affiliate, Associate, Member or Fellow?)

Member (MIMarEST)

Role and organisation

Metocean Analyst at AMPmer

Summarise what you do in one sentence

Quantify impact and effect of weather and sea conditions (such as winds, waves, currents and water levels) on a wide range of activities in the offshore oil & gas and renewables industries.

Which organisations have you worked for previously?

BMT ARGOSS, Fugro GEOS

Describe a typical workday

My job role is quite varied. The majority of my work involves statistical analysis of metocean data (primarily winds, waves, currents, tides, water levels etc.) accompanied by writing reports of the results. A lot of my work tends to be for the offshore wind industry, but prior to joining ABPmer, I did a lot of work for the oil and gas sector. I also have an active role in other aspects of the business. I frequently write proposals for clients and attend client visits and meetings, allowing me to get out and about a bit at times. I am also involved in some of the business development tasks, such as identifying key areas within my team that could be improved. For example, upgrading models to use better quality or higher resolution data, or scoping out new services to better suit our clients’ needs.

Describe your academic/training history and how you got to where you are today.

MOcean, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton

What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?

Good communication is essential as the technical side of my job role can get quite complicated. I have to speak to and write reports for a range of clients; some have no knowledge of the technical nature of the job role whilst others have a very detailed, in-depth background. It also helps to be logical with a strong numerical background, although those skills constantly improve over time.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I like seeing evidence of the theory that you learn at university and how it affects the real world. For example, physical processes such as upwelling and internal waves can be seen in measured data from an ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profiler) really well and it’s exciting when you spot something a little different occurring. I also love to travel and will happily go anywhere and everywhere! I really enjoy meeting new people too.

What challenges have you had to overcome?

For me the biggest challenge has been financial. I came from a background where going to university was not the norm and there was little encouragement or support. I had to really push myself to do something that I enjoyed but would lend itself to a good career. As a result, I am very determined and I put a lot of effort into everything that I do to ensure that the investment in my education and career pays off.

Describe a typical career path to your current role. How does this differ to your career path?

A lot of people that have a similar job role to me have studied Oceanography or something similar at university. Others have followed more of an engineering background, such as coastal engineering or civil engineering, whilst a few started off life in the Royal Navy or Merchant Navy.

How has being a member of the IMarEST helped you in your career?

I became a member when I was a student as membership was free. When I got my first job at Fugro GEOS, IMarEST membership was encouraged as part of a professional development programme and I’ve stayed with it since as it’s a great way of focusing my career and ensuring that I’m recognised professionally as a competent marine scientist. It has enabled me to meet lots of new people which is great for networking as you never know where your next opportunity might come from.

Which professional journals and organisations help you keep up to date with industry news?

The Marine Professional is really helpful for me as it gives me a little more insight into the industry especially from an engineering and shipping perspective. It also helps me to keep up to date with changes that could impact on my job role such as oil prices and renewable energy funding.

Give us an interesting fact about you!

I used to compete in Ballroom and Latin dancing and I have completed three half-marathons to date.