Chris Dennis

"I still look fondly at my times studying in the fens of Anglesey and the bogs of Snowdonia"

Bangor provided the perfect environment for Chris Dennis (Applied Terrestrial and Marine Ecology, 2011) to pursue his interest in nature.

“I graduated from Bangor University in 2011 with a BSc in Applied Terrestrial and Marine Ecology. I had always had a fascination with nature and, after attending an open day, chose to come study at Bangor in part because of the amazing wildlife on the doorstep, but also because of the amazing mountain biking which was my second interest!

I greatly enjoyed my time at Bangor and the course was great with brilliant field-trips in a wide range of habitats available very close to the University. I studied in the school of Environmental Sciences which has really great lecturers including world renowned scientists leading in their fields. The University was very supportive during my time as a student, particularly Student Services & Administration. I was the captain of the mountain biking club and I lived in Rathbone hall of residence which helped me get to know a really great group of people really well and in a short space of time, helping me settle into university life.

After graduating I went on to work as Residential Warden at Dungeness RSPB reserve in Kent and shortly after was offered my first job as an Assistant Ecologist working for a consultancy in Derby.

After a year of learning the ropes in consultancy I landed a similar role with Amec (now Wood) in London, working out of the Angel Gate office. This enabled me to gain experience in a wide range of projects from small scale housing developments and monitoring of SSSIs, to providing ecology support for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects such as airports and nuclear power stations.

I have worked for the company for over 8 years and now lead the London Ecology Team in Wood’s Canary Wharf office. I am also the Principal Ecologist for Hinkley Point C Nuclear New Build in Somerset which is the largest project in Europe and a fascinating project to work on. I still have an ever-increasing interest in nature and apply my knowledge to ensure positive outcomes for biodiversity during and following development through measures such as offsetting and involvement in Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) schemes.

I am very happy that I studied at Bangor and my course gave me a really great foundation in ecology. I have recently been awarded Chartered Scientist status by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and this is in-part due to my university course having been accredited by the IES. This affiliation is hugely beneficial in terms of networking and employability.

I still look fondly at my times studying in the fens of Anglesey and the bogs of Snowdonia and visit the area whenever possible.”