What I enjoy in my role and how I secured my dream career

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By Luke Gorman CEcol, FCIEEM, Professional Head of Ecology & Associate Director, Atkins

I have to pinch myself some days, I am blessed to be working with a range of gifted and technically excellent colleagues, with a management team that is truly exceptional and prioritises the wellbeing of our staff, and on a wide range of interesting projects. My first 20 years (almost) working as an ecologist with Atkins have been a blast and I feel extremely fortunate to have a career that I could have only dreamt of back in my childhood… but how did I get here?

As a child I was always fascinated with the natural world around me, I enjoyed bird watching, exploring nearby ponds looking for amphibians and aquatic invertebrates, and I watched every David Attenborough documentary available with great interest.

Despite this interest in natural history, I didn’t realise that it was possible to pursue a career in ecology until I went to university in the late 90’s and subsequently enrolled on an Environmental Management degree that contained a number of ecology focussed modules. It started to become apparent that I could realistically pursue a career as an ecologist, it felt almost too good to be true, I could actually pursue my passion as a career and I would get paid for it!

After university, I had my heart set on becoming an ecological consultant, working on a range of development projects and trying to provide the best outcome for biodiversity. Back then it wasn’t easy to secure a job without relevant work experience and I ended up spending a period of time working as a Voluntary Countryside Ranger before moving to Northern France for a short spell to work as an Outdoor Wildlife Guide to obtain some much needed relevant work experience. Following this, I was able to secure a temporary role assisting on a large scale great crested newt translocation scheme before securing my first permanent role as a Graduate Ecologist, with Atkins, in 2004.

I had fallen on my feet. I loved the company, the people and the work. I was getting paid to pursue my passion and interest; I felt very lucky indeed.

When starting out as a Graduate Ecologist for Atkins back in 2004, I had no idea where my career would take me… but what a fantastic journey it turned out to be. From the early days undertaking ecological site assessments, Ecological Clerk of Works duties, and numerous protected species surveys, to progressing into team management and project management before concentrating on a more technical direction with a focus on innovation; I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of my career to date and Atkins has supported me every step of the way.

At the present time I am Atkins’ Professional Head of Ecology, providing technical support to the national ecology team over a huge range of projects. I thoroughly enjoy this role, the projects I work on are varied and interesting; many of them have complex ecological constraints and I love nothing more than trying to identify innovative solutions to our clients’ most complex challenges.

I am also passionate about challenging the status quo, developing game-changing survey and mitigation techniques, and expanding Atkins technical ability to ensure fantastic outcomes for our projects, our clients, and our natural environment. Part of my role within Atkins, and perhaps one of my favourite parts of my role, involves undertaking research, development and trials into various innovative methods of ecological survey and mitigation. This has included the development and trialling of conservation detection dogs for detecting protected species, the development and trialling of environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling from water and soil to gain baseline data, the use of drones for ecological survey (such as habitat surveys, otter surveys and eDNA sampling), and the development, trialling and use of artificial intelligence software for sound analysis and video analysis.

One thing is for sure, no two days are ever the same and I count myself to be very lucky indeed to be working in an area that I am so passionate about.

Luke can be contacted on Luke.gorman@atkinsglobal.com

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