Michael Meredyth-Young Email & Phone Number

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Christchurch, New Zealand

Hamilton

At NIWA I was responsible for collecting and processing estuarine macrofauna samples and preparing the results for Auckland Council. I work alongside scientists with their research by assisting with ecological modelling and statistical analyses of their data.Key responsibilities:• Project manager of Upper Waitemata harbour monitoring program (Auckland Council).• Lead field technician for Upper Waitemata (Auckland Council monitoring site) harbour sampling.• Responsible for collecting, entering, and preparing environmental monitoring data.• Carrying out analyses and preparing results for scientists using Matlab and R software.• Coding a species competition model with agent-based software (Netlogo) between invasive and native gastropods.• Identifying benthic macrofauna under a dissection microscope.

Auckland, New Zealand

During my masters, I worked on a research project which investigated the effects of kauri dieback on dissolved nutrient cycling. Key responsibilities:• Independently carrying out fieldwork.• Independently conducting water fluorescence scans on samples.• Entering project data into Excel spreadsheets.

Paraguay

Para La Tierra (For the Earth) is a NGO which uses the scientific research of interns to promote environmental protection. I investigated the migration and dispersal ecology between two amphibian communities and used my results to encourage the protection of a vulnerable habitat.Key tasks:• Monitoring the spatial and temporal patterns of Atlantic Forest amphibian and reptile species with pitfall traps.• Created a database in Libre Office Base to improve the accessibility of collection records.• Wrote a report summarising the amphibian monitoring project which included a restoration strategy for an amphibian dispersal and migration corridor.• Updated a species inventory report for an already existing Ramsar site (Laguna Chaco Lodge).

Kurdistan

During my time travelling, I took a position as a university instructor. Teaching technical information to students who spoke English as a second language gave me a unique opportunity to improve my communication skills.Key responsibilities:• Teaching science, mathematics and English to Kurdish and Iraqi students.• Preparing lesson plans, setting and marking assignments, provideding one on one tutoring.

Kurdistan, Iraq

Whilst working as a university instructor, I also volunteered at an environmental NGO. Villages of cultural and historical significance were being considered as new oil drilling sites, yet minimal consideration had been given for the socio-economic impacts on these communities. Working in a small team, we conducted a socio-economic study to assess these communities’ attitudes and perceptions towards oil development.Key responsibilities:• Assisting with the collection of survey responses.• Entering respondent data into Excel spreadsheets.• Lead writer of the final report, coordinating co-authors’ sections, editing the final document.

Auckland

I led a field team in a restoration project across a range of sites, planting over 70,000 plants.Key responsibilities:• Identifying invasive and native weed species to ensure restoration goals were achieved.• Preparing and submitting weekly progress reports.• Responsible for ensuring work was undertaken in a safe manner in line with company health and safety policy.

Wellington & Wairarapa, New Zealand

Key responsibilities:• Tagging and monitoring the spatial distribution of rock lobster.• Identifying and recording bycatch species.• Identifying maturation stages of rock lobsters’ larvae.• Entering results into Excel spreadsheets.

Master Of Science, Environmental Science

Postgraduate Diploma In Science, Environmental Science

Bachelor Of Science, Marine Ecology, Ecology & Biodiversity