OXFORD

ENERGY + ENVIRONMENT
ENERGY + ENVIRONMENT
Elodie Limer
Consultant, ecoVeritas Ltd
Oriel College, Chemistry,
2014
WHAT: I work for a small Oxford based
company which specialises in Producer
Responsibility calculations. The majority
of our work is based around calculating
how much packaging retailers and
manufacturers use annually, which we
report to the Environment Agency on
behalf of our clients.
WHY: It is great to do a job that I enjoy
and that has a positive environmental
impact. My job is primarily focussed
around data, which I really enjoy, but it
also has a direct impact on the amount of
recycling that happens across the world.
I also get involved in many aspects of
the business including mentoring staff,
developing our bespoke software and
sales proposals and meetings.
USING MY DEGREE: As much as I
enjoyed my chemistry degree, I decided
that I didn’t particularly want to a job
in a chemistry related field. I really
wanted to do something numerical but
was quite uninspired. I found this job
on the CareerConnect website and it
automatically appealed to me. I started as
a Data Analyst, so spent a lot of time
with data and using the problem
solving skills I had developed during
my degree.
PROS AND CONS: There are always
parts of a job that you enjoy more
than others – for example, we get
to consume food for work purposes,
so we can weigh the packaging,
which can lead to massive influxes of
biscuits and sweet treats in the office.
But I have also been known to stand
in the car park emptying out cans of
dog food before weighing the cans.
I also really enjoy the fact that as
ecoVeritas is a small company, we
are able to get involved in all aspects
of the business from quite an early
stage.
TOP TIP: When considering a
career, bear in mind the size of the
company. The experience you will
have will greatly depend on the size
of the company and the people you
work with.
JENNA HOLDER
Renewable Energy
Consultant, OST Energy
St. Anne’s College, DPhil in
Materials Science, 2014
WHAT: For the past two years I have been
working for OST Energy, a fast-growing
renewable energy consultancy. I am
their PV module specialist, which means
I provide the company with up-to-date
knowledge on PV modules on the market
and to undertake technical reviews of this
technology. This may involve travelling
abroad to module factories (getting to
see the world on the way), attending
and organising seminars, meeting
manufacturers and reviewing the latest
scientific literature.
My DPhil has supported me in this
role twofold. Firstly, my research topics
facilitate my understanding of a range
of different technologies. Secondly, my
analytical and report-writing skills help
with most of my day-to-day tasks.
WHY: It’s an exciting time to be a
renewable energy consultant: you’re in
a perfect position to see how the global
renewables market is evolving. I think the
sector is suitable for anyone who has a
strong desire to help the world reach its
renewables potential and there are
openings for a variety of levels of
experience/ technical knowledge.
GETTING IN: Initially, I found it tough
to work out what jobs to apply for.
Visiting the Careers Service and
seeking out similarly-minded people
were really useful in helping me to
understand possible career options.
I searched for a range of jobs after
completing my DPhil and found
this one via LinkedIn, which also
advertises many other similar job
openings. It’s worth tracking down
the many sector-specific recruitment
consultants or job mailing lists. Most
importantly, be open to new job
ideas!
For any scientists/ mathematicians/
engineers looking to join the
renewables sector, I recommend that
you undertake a project (final year,
masters, PhD) in a relevant area or, at
least choose related course modules.
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