Fisokuhle Mbatha 2016/17

As a newly appointed oceanography intern at SAEON Egagasini node, I work closely with Dr Juliet Hermes in the Marine sector and with Thomas Mtontsi in the Educational outreach sector. I am appointed to four main tasks that will expand my skills of being a professional researcher in the future. These tasks involve a mini-project dealing with numerical modelling in the southern Benguela region, biogeochemical sampling on cruises where I will gain my laboratory skills, Transformation Investigation Project (TIP) at SAEON nodes where I will gain my project management skills and lastly I assist Thomas Mtontsi in education exhibitions, school visits & monitoring programmes etc. There are many other responsibilities that I undertake at SAEON such as attending science workshops, UCT MA-RE Institute meetings and seminars, this help me with getting exposure and have a clear direction of the path I want to take in marine science. Prior to accepting the DST-NRF internship in April 2016 at SAEON, I am in progress with completing my Masters degree in Applied Marine Science at the University of Cape Town. My research project focuses on the influence of timing and intensity of intra-annual events in fish life cycles off Norwegian and Southern African regions. I work under the supervision of Prof. Coleen Moloney (UCT), Dr Marek Ostrowski (IMR, Bergen, Norway) and Dr Marek Lipinski (MCM, DAFF). After my SAEON internship I intend to further my studies in 2017 where I wish to pursue an international collaborated PhD in Fisheries oceanography, as I have best interest of assessing and forecasting the future impacts that are caused by climate change in South African fisheries.