Liv Cornelissen

“I’ve always wanted to know how the world works, and in my Master of Science degree in Climate Physics, I could combine my passion for physics, my love for the ocean, and my wish to play my part in getting a step closer to solving the climate change problem. I did my MSc thesis at NIWA in Wellington, which focused on ocean modelling. My PhD now combines ocean modelling and working with ocean observations. My decision to continue in a PhD was because when I was looking at jobs after completing my MSc, all of the fun ones had a preference for having a PhD.

“My PhD is very diverse. A lot of the time I work at my desk with both the modelling and the observation data, but I also get opportunities to go out in the field and assist on research voyages. In February 2024 I spent some time on an icebreaker in the Ross Sea, the area I am focusing on for my PhD project. My PhD is funded by the Antarctic Science Platform, and without the funding I would not be able to do it.

“I also like doing extracurricular activities. During my BSc and MSc, I was a member of the student photography association in the Netherlands, where I ran a photography workshop for other students. I also had a position for a year with the Green Office of Radboud University, which is a European programme that works on making the university more sustainable, from reducing waste and making more environmentally friendly foods, to implementing sustainability in the curriculum of more studies. I also worked as a teaching assistant at the university in the Physics department, did one-on-one tutoring with high school students in Mathematics and Physics and gave an exam training workshop for students in the last year of high school. I now currently have a side job in hospitality and have my own small photography business to top up my stipend.”