I completed a summer research placement and got to work in the specimen collections of the Natural History Museum at Tring

“After a chance encounter with a professor from Sheffield who was doing field research in a remote part of Zambia, I decided that the University of Sheffield would be the place to study for a degree in Biology. From a young age I was fascinated by nature and the infinite puzzles it offers to the curious mind. I had heard many good things about the excellence of teaching and the opportunities available to students, and I was not disappointed.

“In the very first week of our course we went outdoors to collect data and we were asked to analyse and interpret those data to answer real scientific questions. Talk about being thrown into the deep end! It was worth it in the end, and I have found the course overall to be both challenging and rewarding. Plus, we’ve had the opportunity to do so many amazing things: learning real lab and field skills, studying the specimens in the university’s very own museum, and going on field excursions both near and far.

I ended up doing a summer research placement with him funded by the Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) scheme. The project was on the evolution of ecological and morphological traits of hummingbirds. It was a great experience to work in the specimen collections of the Natural History Museum at Tring.

Louie Rombaut

MBiolSci Zoology

“One way in which the Biology courses at Sheffield stand out from other universities is that we had regular tutorials in small groups with academics in the department. During my second year I had a tutor whose work really sparked my interest. I ended up doing a summer research placement with him funded by the Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) scheme. The project was on the evolution of ecological and morphological traits of hummingbirds. It was a great experience to work in the specimen collections of the Natural History Museum at Tring.

“As is typical in science, the work left me with more questions for each one I had answered. This brought me to where I am now, doing a Masters on the evolution of morphological traits across all living birds – no small undertaking! I hope to pursue a career in research and I am always looking for opportunities to learn new things and meet interesting people.”